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Fifty Cents. 
{Third Edition. ) 

IV "^iting For 

The Press, 



Robert Ltice. 



Writing for the Press 



A MANUAL 




Editors, Reporters, Correspondents, and Printers 



Third Edition, Revised and Enlarged 



By ROBERT LUCE 



BOSTON : 

THE WRITER PUBLISHING COMPANY 
18S9 



COPYRIGHT, 
1886, 1888 and 1889, 
By 

ROBERT LUCE. 



Geo. B. King, Printer, 105 Summer St., Boston. 



" Be thou familiar^ but by 7io 7neans vulgar.''^ — 

SHAKESPEARE. 

*' Of all those arts in which the wise excel. 
Nature'' s chief masterpiece is writing weliy — 

SHEFFIELD, DUKE OF BUCKINGHAMSHIRE. 

*' True ease in writhig comes from art^ not chance, 
As those move easiest who have learjied to dajtce.^"^ — 

POPE. 

The more general the terms are^ the pictzire is the fainter; the more special 
ihey are, the brighter^' — 

CAMPBELL. 

*' If men would only say what they have to say in plain terms, how much more 
eloquent they would be I " — 

COLERIDGE. 

*' One of the greatest of all faults in speaking and writing is this: the using of 
many words to say little y — 

COBBETT. 

Accuracy of expression is the most essential element of a good style; and 
inaccurate writing is generally the expression of i}iaccurate thinkiitg.^'' — 

RICHARD GRANT WHITE. 

" And if in no other way, yet, as facilitating revision, a knowledge of the thi?tg 
to be achieved — a clear idea of what constitutes a beauty, aizd ivhat a blemish- — 
-cannot fail to be of serviced — 

HERBERT SPENCER. 

" When a short word will do, yoit always lose by using a long one. You lose 
in clearness; you lose in honest expression of your meanijzg; aitd, in the estimation 
of all 7nen who are qualified to judge, you lose in reputation for ability y — 

DEAN ALFORD. 



WRITING FOR THE PRESS. 



PRINTER'S COPY. 

1. Paper from eight to ten inches long, and from five to six 
inches wide, is the most convenient for everybody concerned in 
writing for the press. Avoid paper of letter size, and never use 
a foolscap sheet. Should only folded paper be at hand, tear or 
cut it into single sheets. 

2. Writers for the press use colored paper when they can get 
it, as it is better for the eyes of writer, editor, compositor, and 
proof-reader. The usual colors are yellow, orange, or brown, in 
light shades. If you cannot get it from a stationer, order it 
through a printer, or get it at a paper warehouse, and have 
it cut to the desired size. Ordinary wrapping paper is not bad 
for copy. 

3. Many writers prefer unruled paper, and there is no 
objection to its use for copy, provided the lines are written far 
enough apart. Close writing is objectionable, and it is better 
to err in the other direction. 



6 



Writing for the Press. 



4. Use a pen whenever possible, and in these days of stylo- 
graphic and fountain pens it is generally possible. Do not use 
a pencil with hard lead on white or any calendered paper. An 
automatic pencil with colored or soft black lead is the best 
thing to use in editing copy, but do not use it with black lead 
on yellow paper. Editors and printers detest copy written with, 
a very fine pen or with pale ink. Throw pale ink away. 

5. Never WTite on both sides of the sheet. 

6. Leave a margin of half an inch at both top and bottom 
Ol each page, for convenience in pasting. The side margins 
are not of so much consequence, but they make the page look 
better and are often useful to the editor. 

7. Do not fasten the sheets of a manuscript together in any 
way. Pins betray the novice. 

8. Number each page at the top, either in the middle or at 
the right-hand corner. Draw a quarter circle or two straight 
lines under the number. If new pages are inserted in the 
middle of an article, say after Page 9, number them 9A, 9B, 
9C, etc. If pages are taken out, say from 10 to 14 inclusive^ 
number the ninth page ''9-14," or the fifteenth page, 10-15.'' 
It is a common and often useful practise to choose arbitrarily 
some letter and put it after every page number in any one 
article ; for instance, if the Providence correspondent of a 
Boston paper numbers his Sunday letter pages, " ix, 2x, 3X," 
etc., confusion will be avoided if the pages should happen to get 
mixed up with those of the Portland correspondent who has 



7 



numbered his, ^'iz, 2Z, 3z/' etc. Some story writers number 
each chapter by itself, a bad practice, but one that can be 
tolerated if to the sheets of each chapter are also given a letter 
in common, to distinguish them from the sheets of other chapters. 

9. Write legibly. By writing illegibly you always do an 
injury to the editor, the compositor, and the proof-reader, and 
often do one to yourself. Be especially careful with foreign and 
other unusual words. The capitals, I and J, are often con- 
founded ; so are the small letters r, u, v, w, and m. 

• 

10. If in reading your own copy or editing another's you find 
single letters or words that are illegible, write others plainly 
above them. It is needless to erase and replace them. 

11. Be particular to write the names of persons plainly, and 
above all spell them correctly. Nothing gives the editor, the 
compositor, and the proof-reader more annoyance than careless- 
ness in this respect. If a name is worth printing at all, it is 
worth printing right. 

12. Reporters and others who must write swiftly often find 
it of advantage to have acquired the habit of writing without 
taking the pen from the paper, except to dot " i's " and put 
in punctuation marks. The connecting of words by long pen 
strokes makes copy hardly less legible, and certainly saves much 
time. Of course when time permits it is better to make the 
words wholly distinct. The wise writer will make a study of 
penmanship with an eye to speed. One hint may be given : 
Learn to write the letter t " without making a separate stroke 
to cross it. 



'8 



Writwg for the Press. 



13. To save time, *'and " may be written & with a semi-circle 
after and half enclosing it, In general, curves or, better, full 
circles round abbreviations indicate that they are to be spelled 
out ; e. g., Col. encircled will be printed Colonel ; JV. K, New 
York ; nine. Vice versa, a circle round a word means that it 
is to be abbreviated ; e. g., Massachusetts encircled will be printed 
Mass.; 7iine, g. 

14. The practice of abbreviating in copy can of course be 
carried too far, but it is safe to abbreviate most titles, many 
given names, the names of days and months, and to use easily 
understood contractions like *'com^," ''eve.,'' " Dem.," ''Rep.," 
with curves like parentheses tipped over, above and below the 
la.st letter. 

15. Make frequent paragraphs and always put the paragraph 
mark, H, before every one \ it is advisable also to put the mark 
after every one. In many newspaper offices the compositor is 
supposed never to put a paragraph where it is not marked. In 
editing your own or another's copy, you can make a paragraph 
where you choose by inserting the mark. Copy looks better and 
is more legible when the paragraphs are begun at some distance 
in from the edge of the sheet. 

16. Avoid ending a paragraph with the first or second line 
on a page ; that bothers and vexes the compositor. Rather 
compress the writing at the bottom of one page than carry a few 
words over to the next. 



Writing for the Press 



9 



17. When the last word on a page ends a sentence and does 
not end a paragraph, follow it with a large caret. When you 
have made a break in the middle of a page, and afterward 
decide not to have any IT, elide it, put a caret after the last word 
before the break, and another before the first word after the 
break. The same idea may be conveyed by a curving line 
connecting the last word before and the first word after the 
break. 

18. In cancelling, be careful to show clearly where the cancel- 
lation begins and where it ends. Not only make the cancelling 
lines distinct, but if the cancellation comes in the middle of a 
paragraph, put a caret before and another after it, or connect the 
last w^ord before and the first word after it with a heavy curving 
line, if you regret a cancellation before the sheet leaves your 
hands, you may save the trouble of re-writing by putting in the 
margin the word stet (Latin for " let it stand ") ; the better way 
when time allows is to re-wTite the cancelled passage. If only a 
few words have been cancelled, in addition to the marginal ''stet,'' 
make a dotted line under the cancelled words. 

19. If in editing your own or another's copy you wish to elide 
a letter, draw an oblique line through it downward from right to 
left. If you wish to change a capital to a small letter, draw an 
oblique line through it downward from left to right. If you wish 
to change a small letter to a capital^ draw three lines under it. 
One line under words means that they are to be printed in 
italics; two lines, small caps; three lines, FULL CAPS. 

20. Begin every sentence with a capital letter. If it is not 
clear that the letter as written is a capital, draw three lines under 



lO 



Writing for the Press. 



it. When you cancel the first few words of a sentence, or when 
you break a sentence in two, draw three lines under the first 
letter of the first uncancelled word, or the first word of the new 
sentence, and thus save the time and trouble of writing a capital 
over the small letter. 

21. Avoid division of words at the end of lines. In cutting 
"copy" into "takes'' in the composing-room, divided words often 
make trouble. A good compositor studies to avoid divisions. 
Never divide a word at the end of a page. 

22. For the sake of clearness accustom yourself to encircle 
every period that ends a sentence. After a little practise you 
will do this almost involuntarily. It often saves editor and 
compositor much trouble. Some writers prefer the short-hand 
period, a small cross with the right-hand points joined so that it 
can be made without lifting the pen from the paper. Clearly 
distinguish colons from semi-colons. 

23. In adding more than a few words to copy, it is far better 
to cut the sheet and paste in the new lines than to interline 
or to write the additions on the margin. It is not necessary 
that the sheets shall be all the same length, though of course that 
makes the manuscript more presentable. When a leaf has been, 
lengthened by pasting, you may, for the sake of convenience, 
fold the lower edge forward upon the writing ; if it is folded 
backward, it may escape notice and to insert it may afterward 
cause much trouble. 

24. In writing a foot-note, let it immediately follow the line 
of text that contains the asterisk, or other reference mark, and 



Wriimg for the -Press. 



do not write it at the bottom of the manuscript page. He who 
makes up the matter will transfer such note to its proper place. 

25. A proof of any cut to be used in illustrating an article 
should be pasted as near as possible in the proper place in copy. 
If a proof cannot be had, leave a space in copy, and write in it, 

Here Cut/"' with the title of the illustration. If the cut has not 
been made, send the drawing on a separate sheet and indicate 
in copy in the way described, just where the cut is to go. 

26. When writing in dialect, or quoting a sentence with 
mis-spelled words which you want printed just as written, put 
the direction, "Follow copy,'' in the margin. Do the same 
when in a matter of spelling, abbreviation, capitalization, or 
punctuation you wish to follow a style different from that of the 
office to which your manuscript is going. 

27. Never roll sheets that are to be sent to an editor. Copy 
once rolled can never be made perfectly flat again, and is a 
nuisance to everybody who handles it afterward. Furthermore, 
round packages are likely to get into the newspaper mail, and 
be delayed or lost. Also it is hard to remove the wrapper from 
a rolled manuscript without tearing some of the sheets. It does 
not make much difference whether short manuscripts are sent 
folded or flat, though of course the flat method is preferable. 

COMPOSITION. 

28. After you learn, it is just as easy to write good English as 
bad English. Why not learn ? In return for a little trouble at 
the start you will stand higher in the estimation of all educated 



12 



Writing for the Press. 



people and will not stand lower in the estimation of the unedu- 
cated. Perhaps only one man in a hundred will appreciate your 
good English, but is he not the only man in the hundred whose 
appreciation is worth caring for ? 

29. Study to avoid stiffness in beginning. Never hesitate to 
jump into the middle of things. Introductions, when necessary, 
should be brief. 

30. Let clearness be the first consideration, brevity the 
second, and remember that metaphor is briefer than literal 
statement. " Brevity is the soul of wit," and Polonius in saying so 
put it better and briefer than if he had said it is ^'the animating 
part of wit." 

31. Prefer the First Person to the Third Person wherever 
it will not appear egotistic. The First Person gives more 
personality, more life to the sentences. When you mean I," 
say ''I," and not "your humble servant," nor "the pen pusher," 
nor " the scribe," nor any of the thousand and one equally 
useless and stilted paraphrases. "The editor," "the reporter," 
and "the correspondent" are phrases pardonable in newspaper 
writing, but are to be avoided ; and when the article is signed, 
are needless. Usage has not yet sanctioned the I " in an 
unsigned newspaper article when referring to the writer, but 
good taste long ago condemned the use of " we " for the same 
purpose. The tendency of the day is to discard we " even in 
editorial writing, when used with specific significance. 

32. Direct quotation is more forcible than indirect; I am 
shot,^^ he said is far preferable to, He said he was shot. Direct 



IVriiing for the Press. 



13 



quotation is especially to be preferred in newspaper writing, 
both because it is more spirited, and because it is more easily 
handled. 

33. Florid writing, oddities of style, grotesque phrases, and 
obsolete words may give a temporary popularity, but the public 
soon wearies of second-rate Carlyles. The best foundation for 
success as a writer is the ability to write easily, naturally, as 
you would talk. The power to make a simple narration may be 
developed into the power to arouse the deepest emotions, but 
only a fool will try to begin building his house at the roof. 

34. The habit of writing against space " is the greatest literary 
danger to a young newspaper writer. When you have expressed 
one idea clearly and tersely, go on to the next. Above all things, 
stop when you have done. 

SOME GRAMMATICAL QUESTIONS. 

35. *^The best w^ay," says Richard Grant White, is to give 
yourself no trouble at all about your grammar. Read the best 
authors, converse with the best speakers, and know what you mean 
to say, and you will speak and write good English, and may let . 
grammar go to its own place." There is much truth in this, but 
we cannot all and cannot always converse with the best speakers, 
and many of us are obliged to read the productions of very poor 
authors, so that even the best of us are puzzled sometimes to know 
what is the best form to use. Some of the more common of the 
questions that arise are treated below ; others are treated under the; 
head of Words and Phrases." 



^4 



Writing for the Fress, 



The pronoun standing for a noun of multitude (sometimes 
called a collective noun) is used in the singular if the idea of unity 
is to be conveyed, and in the plural if the idea of plurality is to be 
conveyed. The number of a verb after a noun of multitude is 
determined in the same way ; e. g., " The mob comes on in one 
compact body and it hurls itself at the gates " ; ^^The mob now 
scatter in every direction and yell as they move off" ; " The lodge 
will attend the funeral and it will march to the cemetery" ; ''At the 
last meeting of the lodge they disagreed on that matter." When in 
doubt, it is safer to use the singular. 

Never write a personal pronoun without duly considering to 
what noun it will be found to relate, upon the reading of a sentence. 
The careless use of the personal pronouns is a source of 
great annoyance to news- editors, particularly when it occurs in 
reports of trials. It is always better to repeat a name than to use 
a pronoun when there will be uncertainty as to its antecedent. The 
use of direct quotation rather than indirect, often obviates the 
difficulty. 

Use tli£ comparative degree when comparing only two things ; 
e. g., " He is the ekk/- of the two brothers " ; but, '' He is the 
yowxigest of the trio." 

Adverbs should be placed as near as possible to the words 
they modify. 

i\fter all forms of the verb to be, use the same case as that 
which precedes it. Do not say, It was me, " or ''I know you 
to be he." 



waiting for the Press. 



Where two or more singular nominatives are separated by ot^ 
7ior, as well as^ or other disjunctive, the verb should be in the 
singular ; but if either nominative is plural, the verb also should 
be plural. 

The active infinitive must be treated as one word, and, 
therefore, must not be separated. It is as bad to say, " To 
properly write," as it would be to say, con often flict," for 
''often conflict." 

Shall and Will. I shall ^ you will, he will, are the forms of 
the future, and merely foretell what will take place : I will, you 
shall, he shall, are the forms of the potential, and express will or 
determination on the part of the speaker. Will in the first 
person expresses a resolution or promise ; it must never be used 
in questions with nominative cases in the first person. Would and 
should follow will and shalL 

The careless use of the present tense for the future often 
annoys news-editors. Say, '^Mr. B. will preach two weeks from 
today " ; not, " Mr. B. preaches two weeks from today." 

Shall we say She looks pretty," or ''She looks prettily"? 
If you mean to describe her appearance, use the former j if her 
mode of looking, — for instance, if she holds her opera glass 
gracefully, — use the latter. Whenever manner is to be expressed, 
use the adverb ; whenever quality is to be expressed, use the 
adjective. Putting the rule in another form : Verbs of doing take 
the adverb : verbs of seeming and being take the adjective ; e. g., 
'' He walks slowly, his voice sounds //^rj-//, he limps pai7tfully, his 
breath smells bad, his coat feels rough, and he acts strangely y 



Writing for the Press. 



Transitive verbs must have an object ; intransitive verbs do^ 
not admit of an object. Errors are very frequently made in the 
use of the following six verbs : 





Present. 


Past 


Participle. 




Transitive 


Lay 


Laid 


Laid 


(action) 


Intransitive 


Lie 


Lay 


Lain 


(rest) 


Transitive 


Set . 


Set 


Set 


(action) 


Intransitive 


Sit 


Sat 


Sat 


(rest) 


Transitive 


Raise 


Raised 


Raised 




Intransitive 


Rise 


Rose 


Risen 





Right : 

He lays the book on the table. 
He lies on the bed. 

He lay on the bed and laid the book on the table. 

After he had lain awhile and had laid the book on the table^ 

he rose, raised the book, and sat down where he had set 

the chair. 

Wrong : 

I will lay down awhile. 

He raised up and then he set stiil. 

I sat him in the chair. 

When a conjunction indicates some uncertainty, use the 
subjunctive after it ; when anything is spoken of as an actual 
fact, or as in absolute existence, the indicative is used. Compare 
the following correct sentences : Do not give him the money 
unless he return you the goods"; Though friends be false, yet 
will 1 do my duty " ; "Though her chastity is right and becoming, 
it gives her no claim to praise ; because she would be criminal if 



Writhig for the Press. 



17 



she was not chaste." Parry Gwynne has well illustrated this knotty 
jDoint : ''Thus a gentleman, giving an order to his tailor, may say, 
' Make me a coat ; if it fit me well, I will give you another order ; ' 
because the 'fit' alluded to is a thing which the future has to 
determine. But when the coat is made and brought home, he 
cannot say, ' If this cloth be good, I will give you another order,* 
for the quality of the cloth is already determined ; the future will 
not alter it. It must be rendered in the indicative mood, ' If this 
cloth is good,' etc." 

Lack of space forbids detailed discussion of the errors in the 
following sentences, most of which were taken from newspapers of 
recent date. It is hoped that the correct form or the slight 
explanation in brackets may indicate the mistake clearly enough : 

" He is sure of the bill [bill's] passing the House." 

*' Unless Rhode Island should some time surrender one of her 
superfluous capitals." [Rhode Island has but two capitals, and 
both cannot be superfluous.] 

" From the report of the grand secretary of Odd Fellowship 
in Massachusetts, it appears that the order is now the largest, in 
point of membership, of any similar organization in the state." 
[How can it be " the largest of any similar organization " ?] 

" One of the most Valuable books that has [have] appeared 
in any language." 

" I am one of those who cannot describe what I [they] do 
not see." 



i8 



Writing for the Press. 



^'The Legislature meets today, and Mr. Smith speaks to 
them [it]." 

"Who [whom] do you mean?" 
^^He is much stronger than me [I]." 

"Great was the generalship and various the contrivances." 
[The verb must be repeated.] 

"It is me [I]." 
"It is him [he].'' 

" Neither Republican nor Democrat say [ says ] anything on 
this point." 

"I have made no. change, nor shall I ever [make any]." 
"I meant to have written [to write]." 

" The shoe factory are [is] employing only about two-thirds 
^oF their [its] usual help." [Query — Is "help " permissible?] 

" Her parents are entitled, as they are receiving, the sympathy 
of their friends." [At best a poor sentence, but only permissible 
when to is supplied after entitled r\ 

" Cornering the distinguished lecturer in the green-room, Mr. 
Beecher entered into an animated talk upon his part in public 
affairs." [The reporter was the man who "cornered," not 
Mr. Beecher.] 



Writmg for the Press. 



19 



Benson's testimony, like that of the preceding witness, was 
not conclusive nor convincing in any particular, having a convenient 
memory on direct examination, and rather unpleasant results accrued 
Avhen attempting retrospective under the fire of the cross-examina- 
tion. [Did the testimony have the memory?] 

" Believing that the writer was a * spotter,' a huge fist collided 
with his nose, after which he was fired out, since which time he has 
not been seen." [Did the fist beheve?] 

"The torch was applied, and when raging with fury three 
grenades were thrown from a distance of about forty feet, and 
inside of fifteen seconds the flames were extinguished." [How 
could a torch rage with fury ?] 

" The Mann boudoir car ' Carmen ' left here today for 
Richmond, whence she will haul a party to the Exposition." [Can 
a car haul a party ?] 

^*A11 persons desirous of obtaining real [really] good gloves." 

" I doubt if [whether] this will ever reach you.'^ 

" It is very rarely [rare] that this happens." 

WORDS AND PHRASES. 

36. Generally Anglo-Saxon words convey the idea more simply 
and more directly than words of French, Latin, or Greek origin. 

37. Never use French, Latin, or Greek words, phrases, or idioms 
where English words, phrases, or idioms will do just as well. 



20 



Writing for the Press, 



38. Call a spade a spade, and if you do not want to call it a 
spade, do not speak about it. 

39. Avoid repetition of words as much as possible, but never 
hesitate to repeat where the substitution of any other word will 
cloud the meaning. Never strain language for the sake of using a. 
synonym. I learned from Macaulay," says Freeman, the historian, 
" never to be afraid of using the same word or name over and over 
again, if by that means anything could be added to clearness or 
force." i\void the former and the latter where possible. 

40. - The repetition of the same meaning in slightly different words, 
is a worse fault than the repetition of the same word. 

41. Of two words that mean alike, use the shorter. 

42. Other things being equal, the simpler and briefer form should 
be chosen. From all the following phrases it is better, for brevity's 
sake, to omit the particle : Accept of address to, admit of, 
approve of, ascend up, attain to, breed up, bridge over, combine 
together, connect together, cofitimie on, converse together, cover over, 
crave for, curb in, descend down, deliver up, enter in, examine into, 
fill up, follow after, forbear from, freshen up, lift up, meet together, 
mix up, open up, remember of, restore backy return back, rise upy 
seek for, slur over, taste of trace out, treat upon, 

43. In the following, omit the words in brackets : First [of all], 
last [of all], the [latter] end, the [last] end, [over] again, nobody 
[else] but him, [most] perfect, I may [perhaps], throughout th^" 
[whole]^ the [universal] regard of all his neighbors. 



Writing for the Press, 



21 



44. Lack of space forbids extended* explanation of the words 
and phrases given below. If yoa do not see at a glance the reason 
for the directions given, look up the words in the dictionary. In 
some cases authorities differ, but the best authorities favor the 
positions I have taken. Certain words like reliable, and certain 
phrases like as though^ have the support of many writers ; but it is 
just as easy to be on the safe side, using trustworthy and as if, as 
it is to be on the doubtful side. Follow the best usage and you 
cannot be criticised. 

A. Used before words beginning with a consonant sound, 
whether the consonant is expressed or understood ; e. g., a book, 
a useful book, such a o?ie, a university, a European, Use an before 
words begininng with h, in which the h is not sounded ; e. g., 
heir, herb, honest, honor, hostler, hour, and their compounds that 
begin with h. Before words of more than two syllables beginning 
with h, use a7i when there is either a primary or a secondary 
accent on the second syllable, otherwise use a ; e. g., a7i historical 
fact, a histo?'y, an heroic poem (but a hero), a hierarchy. 

Abortive. Means " untimely in its birth," and so, brought 
out before it is well matured." A plan may be abortive, but an 
act cannot. 

Above. Wrongly used in such phrases as these : The 
above statement," ''Above her strength," '' Above 3. mile away;" 
say instead, ^' The foregoing statement," Beyond her strength," 
More than a mile away." 

Accord. Often made a stilted substitute for give. 



22 



Writing for the Press. 



Administer. You can administer governments, oaths^ 
medicine, but not blows nor punishment ; they are dealt or given.. 

Adopt. A stilted substitute for take in such phrases as, 
" What course shall you adopts " 

Aggravate. Means to add to the weight of; e.g., *'to 
aggravate an offence." Not equivalent to irritate or vex. 

Ain't. Very vulgar. 

All. Rhetoricians say that all the land should be the whole 
land. Confine all to matters of number. 

Allude. Means to indicate jocosely, to hint at playfully^ and 
so to hint at in a slight^ passing manner ; not equivalent to refery 
speak of. Allusion is the by-play of language. 

Alone. Always an adjective, and adjectives never modify^ 
verbs. See Only. 

Alternative. Means ^' a choice of two things." How^ 
can there be two alternatives " or " another alternative " ? 

Amateur. Do not confound with novice. An amateur may 
be an artist of great experience and skill, but he is not a professional 
artist. A novice is a beginner, a tyro. 

Ameliorate. An awkward word that should not be used 
where iinprove will do as well. 



Writing for the Press. 



25 



And. Cannot properly be used before which or who, unless 
there has been a preceding which or who in the same sentence 
and in the same construction. See That, who, which. 

Antecedents. Generally say previous life ox, belter, past 

Anticipate. Do not use for expect, look forward to. Aitti- 
cipate means to take or act before another, to take before the proper 
time, or to foretaste. 

Any. In the phrase not any there are six letters ; in the 
word 710 there are only two. Yet many reporters will write, There 
were not any boys present." 

Anybody else's. Should be anybody's else. 

Appear, seem. The meaning common to these words 
is that of strike one as being. Substitute the phrase for the 
word in such sentences as these : There seems to be little meat 
in the book;'* *'They appear to be men of judgment." You 
wdll at once see that to be is redundant. Because to be is very 
often used in this way, is no reason why the student of condensa- 
tion should not avoid it. 

Appertains, Has two letters more than pertains and na 
more meaning. 

Appreciate. Do not confound with value or prize. To 
appreciate means to estimate justly ; hence you cannot appreciate a 
person or thing highly. Land, stocks, grain do not appreciate ia 
value ; they rise in value. 



124 



Writing for the Press. 



Apprehend. Sometimes used as a pompous synonym for 
think, fancy, imagine. 

Apt. Aptness and liability both express conditions, — one of 
fitness and readiness, the other of exposure. 

Artist. It may be funny to refer to a barber or a bootblack 
as an artist, but it is not in good taste in serious writing. 

As. Do not say, " Not as I know," but, Not that I know." 
Ascertain. Longer than find out. 

Assist. Instead of assist and assistance, in most cases it is 
better to use help, which is shorter and simpler. 

As though. Do not use for as if, 

(1) He talks as (he would talk) though he were educated. 

(2) He talks as {he would talk) if he were educated. 

The distinction may be made clearer by substituting although 
for though in ( I ) . 

As well. Do not use as a synonym for also ; e. g., say, 
*'Jones came also," and not, ^'Jones came as well." 

At length. Do not use for at last. 

Attendance. Awkwardly used in such phrases as, ^*A large 
attendance was present." It is shorter and simpler to say, ''The 
attendance was large." 

Audience. An assembly of hearers. There can be no 
audience at a gymnastic performance, a pantomime, a boat-race, a 
sparring match, and the like. 



Writing for the Press. 



25 



Authoress. The best usage does not countenance the 
words authoress and poetess. 

Avocation. Not synonymous with vocation. A man's 
vocatio7i is his calKng, his business ; his avocations are the things 
that occupy him incidentally. For instance, amateur photography 
is an avocation of many men. 

Awful. Vulgarly substituted for very. 

Balance. Do not use in the sense of rest, remainder^ 
residuum, or remnant. 

Beside — Besides. It is better to use beside for by the side 
of; besides for in addition to. 

Between. Must not be appHed to more than two things 
at once. 

Both. In "You and I both think" the both is useless. The 
same is true in "These two books are both alike." 

Bound. Do not use in the sense of determined. "I am 
bound to do it," unless there is an obligation, should be, "I am 
determined to do it." 

Bountiful. Do not confound with plentifid. Bountiful 
means liberal^ beneficent, kind. 

Bring. Expresses motion not away. jF^/r/^ expresses 
a double motion — first from and then toward the speaker. 

Build. Preferable to erect. Built is shorter than erected or 
€onstructed. 



26 



Writing for the P?ess, 



Burst. The imperfect and the past participle is bursty not 
bursted. 

But. Used adverbially, but is equivalent to no more than. 
Therefore the man that says, I cannot but think,'' really says, 
can think," for ^^/Z has the negative sense and two negatives 
make an affirmative," He means, I can but think." 

But what. Almost always omit what, as it is meaningless. 
" I do not know but [what] you are right." The same criticism 
applies to but that. 

By. Never say, "A man by the name of Thompson." 
Substitute of for by^ or, better, use named. 

By means of. By will often answer the purpose just as 

well. 

Calculate. Sometimes vulgarly used for intend^ purpo^e^ 
expect. Do not use calculated for likely or apt. 

Can. Implies possibility. Therefore in cannot be possible^ 
the possible is superfluous. 

Canine. An adjective. Vulgarly used as a noun for dog. 

Caption. Wrongly used for heading. A caption is a seiz- 
ure, an arrest. 



Casket, 
a corpse. 



Coffi7i is better in speaking of the receptacle for 



Writing for the Press. 



27 



Casuality. No such word. Casualty is the proper word. 
I'he same may be said of speciality^ for which specialty should be 
used. 

Character. Distinguish from reputatioii. Slander may 
harm reputation, but not character. 

Citizen. Implies citizenship. Often used where person or 
man would be better. 

Claimed. William Cullen Bryant forbade the use of this 
word in The New York Evening Post when asserted was meant. 

Climax. The Greek for ladder. It does not mean the top 
of a ladder. We speak of capping a climax," but not often 
:orrectly of ^'reaching a climax; " acme is usually the appropri- 
ate word in the latter case. 

Commence. Called vulgar by many authorities. Begin 
is far preferable, because it is shorter and is Anglo-Saxon. 
Com77ie7ice is of very poor Latin origin. 

Consider. Means to contemplate^ to ponder. Do not use 
for think, suppose, or regard. 

Constantly. Not synonymous with frequently. Constantly 
means iminterruptedly . 

Consummation. Writers for the press sometimes say 
that "the marriage w^as consiuiimated^'^ when they mean that "the 
ceremony was performed," in some church or by some minister. 
As Richard Grant White says, " consummation is not usually 
talked about openly in general society." 



Writmg for the Press. 



Contribute. Often used as a pompous substitute iox give. 

Cottage house. What could a cottage be but a house ? 

Crime. Distinguish between crime, vice, and sift. Crime is 
a violation of the law of a particular country. Sin is the viola- 
tion of a religious law. Vice is a course of action or habit of life 
that is harmful to the actor or wrongful to others. 

Deceased. A word to be shunned. In point of brevity, 
good taste, and solemnity, dead is far preferable. 

Demean. Means behave^ conduct^ not debase. 

Departed this life. A sanctimonious paraphrase for died. 

Depose. A depo.nent gives a deposition as wTitten evi- 
dence. Therefore a man does not depose if he is in court. 

Depot. Avoid this mischief-making French word by sub- 
stituting station. Every railway depot is a station^ but very few 
stations are depots. 

Deprecate. Wrongly used for disapprove^ censure^ condeinn. 
The word really means to beg or pray against. 

Description. Do not use for kind or sort. Say, His 
clothes were of the meanest sort,'' and not, *'of the meanest 
description." 

Despatch. A telegraph message is a despatch^ not a dispatch 



Writing for the Press. 



29 



Despite. Often incorrectly preceded by in and followed 
by of. Say either, ''Despite all our efforts," or, "In spite of all 
our efforts." 

Devouring element. Bombastical for fire. 

Directly. Do not use for as soo7t as. 

Dirt. Means filth. A thing that is dirty is foul. Do not 
use for earth, loam, gravel, or sand. 

Donate. Not recognized by good writers. Use give. Gift 
is better than donation. 

Done. Exercise very great care in the use of this word. 
The danger may be seen by reflection on this sentence: "I 
ought not to write as I have done " 

Don't. Like can't, won't, haven^t, isn't, and the like, don't is 
pardonable in colloquial writing and common conversation, but a 
clear discrimination must be made between don't and doesn't. 
" He don't " is as wrong as, He do not." 

Dove. Misused for dived. 

Dramatize. Do not confound with adapt. Stories are 
dramatized when they are changed from the narrative to the 
dramatic form j plays are adapted when they are altered. 

During. Worcester defines this word as meaning, '' For 
the time of the continuance of." It is clear, then, that corres- 
pondents err when they use the word as in the following sentence : 
'* The Odd Fellows will give a ball during the week." 



Writing for the Press. 



Either, or, neither, nor. Either looks forward to or ; 
neither looks forward to 7ior. No matter if either has been pre- 
ceded by a negative, — it should still be followed by or. If a 
negative such as not has been used, but no either, then use nor if 
it governs the same part of speech that the negative governed ; 
otherwise use or; it is correct to say, for example, "They are 
not worth all the labor or all the room," and it is correct to say, 
" They are worth not all the labor nor all the room." Put the 
corresponding words next the words they govern ; do not say. 
He comes either from Maine or Vermont," but say, He comes 
from either Maine or Vermont." Remember that 7iever is just 
as much of a negation as neither. Therefore it is wrong to say, I 
never saw man nor woman equal to the task," but it is right to 
say, " I never saw man nor heard of woman equal to the task/' 
Ki\.^x either — or^ neither — nor use the singular number; e.g., 
^' Neither the man nor the boy is to be seen.'' 

Effluvia. Plural. Do not say a had effluvia. 

Elder. Elder and eldest should be confined to kinsfolk and 
historical persons. 

Embrace. Do not use carelessly for contain ox comprise. 
An obituary notice contained the following ludicrous statement : 
" He left a large circle of mourners embracing an amiable wife 
and children." 

Employee. Now commonly accepted as an Anglicized 
word, spelled without the accent, and with two e's whether mas- 
culine or feminine in application. 



Writing for the Press. 



31 



Enceinte. Say, with child. 

Equanimity, anxiety. Both are mental conditions and 
therefore it is redundant to put of miitd after them. 

Equally as well. Equally is superfluous. 

Every. Means each of all, not all in a mass. It cannot, 
therefore, be applied to that which is in its nature inseparable. 
Notice the error in^ The men deserve every praise.'' This word 
requires a singular pronoun ; notice the error in, Every person 
must show their ticket.'' 

Expect. Do not use for suppose, think, or guess. Then, 
too, one cannot expect backward, as is implied in this sentence : 
I expect you caught cold yesterday." 

Explosion. Frequently used wrongly in connection with 
idea, clew, and the like. How can a clew be exploded 1 

Farther. Should be used exclusively with reference to 
distance. In other connections use further. 

Fatal, Whenever fatal is used in the sense of mortal, deadly, 
it is worse than silly to couple with it serious, or similar words. 
Met with a serious and fatal accide7it is part of a sentence not 
rarely seen. Sad and fatal is another deplorable phrase. 

Female. Vulgarly substituted for woman. 

Finally settled. In the common use of this phrase 
finally is superfluous. 



32 



Writing for the Press. 



First. Almost always it is wrong to say the three first or the 
three seco7id ; instead say the first three or the second three. An easy 
rule to remember is, let first " be first. 

Firstly. Improperly used ior first. 

Floral offering. A stock phrase that has become tire- 
some. 

For a period of. A long way of saying j^r. 

For the purpose of. Save in very formal wTiting, three ot 
the words in this phrase are usually needless. 

Former, latter. Never use either of these words in the 
possessive case. 

Full complement. Full is superfluous. 

Future prospects. Who ever heard of past prospects ? 

Gather together. How can people gather any other way? 

Gent. Vulgar. 

Gentleman, Few things are in worse taste than to use the 
term gentlema?t, whether in the singular or plural, to designate the 
sex." — [Alfred Ayres, " Socially the term ' gentleman ^ has- 
become almost vulgar. It is certainly less employed by gentle- 
men than by inferior persons." — \_All the Year Round, 



Writi?ig for the Press. 



33 



Given. The New York Sun objects vigorously to such 
sentences as this : " Henry Irving was given a dinner." The Sun 
calls this use of given a bit of shameful reporter's vulgarity/' 
maintaining that the dinner, not Irving, was given, and that the 
sentence should be, dinner was given to Henry Irving.'" 
Although, in the opinion of many, common usage justifies the 
idiomatic construction, yet it is better to be on the safe side. 

Gives upon. Do not use for looks out upon or adjoms. 

Goes without saying. A translation of a French phrase 
for which it is asserted that there is no need in English. 

Got. More misused than any other word in the language. 
Get expresses attainment by exertion ; possession is completely 
expressed by have. " I have got " is in nine cases out of ten a 
vulgar error; as in, "I have got a book in my hand.'' 

Graduate. There is good authority and certainly almost 
universal usage to justify the use of this word as a neuter verb. 

Grand. Used indiscriminately by careless newspaper writ- 
ers for everything from a hen-house to a thunder-storm. Most 
commonly misused in copying from advertisements such phrases 
as a grand hall, a grand excursion. Correctly used only when it 
is meant to convey an idea of magnificence or splendor. 

Gratuitous. Do not use for unfounded.^ untrue^ u7ireaso7ia' 

ble. 



34 



Writing for the Press, 



Grove. In a grove of trees the words of trees are. clearly 
superfluous. 

Had. Had better^ had rather^ and like phrases are some- 
times criticised, but there is good authority for their use and they 
are too valuable idioms to be discarded. 

Hence. In the phrase from hence the from is worse than 
useless. 

Immediately. Discriminate from directly^ which denotes 
without any delay ^ whereas immediately implies without any inter- 
position of other occupation. " I will do it directly,^' means, ^' I will 
go straightway about it." "I will do it immediately'^ means, ''I 
will do it as the very next thing." 

Immense. Misused for great. Means that cannot he 
measured. 

Inaugurate. Never use if you can possibly help it. To 
inaugurate is to receive or to induct into office with solemn cere- 
monies. In most cases begi7i is the word to be used. 

Individual. Use plain man, woman, person, except when 
members of a class are viewed as units of a whole. 

Indorse. Do not use in the sense of sanction, approve, 
applaud. 

Initiate. Often used where begin would be more forcible 
because more simple. 



Writing for ihe Press. 



35 



In order to. Often used where to would answer the pur- 
pose better, because it is briefer. 

In this city. In Boston is shorter and more definite. 

Lady. Often used vulgarly. Say woman, except where 
purely social distinctions are made. 

Late. In the funeral of the late Mr. Smith it is clear that 
the late is superfluous. 

Leg. When you mean leg, say leg, not lower limb. 

Lengthy. Careful writers prefer long, which also has the 
advantage of brevity. 

Less. Relates to quantity; fewer relates to numbers. 

Liable. A man is liable to that to which he is exposed, or 
t)bliged, or subject ; but he is not liable to act. The word im- 
plies something unpleasant. Do not confound with likely. 

Lief. Lief is permissible, but lieves is vulgar. 

Literarian. A new word generally accepted as a good 
■substitute for the foreign word litterateur and the awkward phrase 
literary ma7i. 

Locate. Simply a big word for place or settle. 

Majority. Substitute most in such phrases as, " In [the 
majority of] cases." 



36 



Writing for the Press, 



Manufactory. Factory is shorter and therefore better. 

Miss. You may say either the Misses Brown or the Miss 
Browns. 

Mistake, to. To take amiss. "I am mistaken," is equiv- 
alent to, I am taken amiss." It is generally better to say at 
fault or wrong. 

V 

Most. Do not use for almost; e. g,, "It was almost (not 
most^ five o'clock." 

Mr. Should be used but for two purposes, — to distinguish 
men from women, and to confer what may be called a social honor. 
When the Christian name is used, the title is not necessary, and 
when only the initials are used, the omission of any title what- 
ever implies that the name is that of a man. Therefore the only 
considerable use of the title Mr. that is justifiable in newspapers, 
is its use in accounts of society happenings, and the more spar- 
ingly it is used in these cases, the better. 

Mrs. In speaking of a married woman, use her husband's 
name with the prefix Mrs.^ or, if she be well known, use her 
Christian name without the Mrs.; e. g.^ Mrs, John yones,- or, 
Harriet Beecher Stowe. An excellent and growing practice, when 
the Christian name is used, is to prefix the Mrs, in brackets; 
e. g., [Mrs.] Mary Brown, 

Mutual, Not synonymous with common. Macaulay says : 
Mutual friend is a low vulgarism for common friend." Mutual 
properly relates to two persons, and implies reciprocity of senti- 
ment. 



Writing for ike Press. 



37 



Names. Shun this word when writing about any organiza- 
tion or meeting. It is needless to say, "Among the names on 
the membership list are those of/^ etc. Say instead, "Among 
the members are/' etc. " Only three men have been suggested 
for the office," is better than, " Only three names," etc. 

Nice. A good word ruined by bad use. If you use it in 
its correct signification, most people will misunderstand you. 
Therefore the best way is not to use it at all. 

Number. Often badly used as a verb where has is meant ; 
as in, " The lodge numbers forty members." 

Obligate. Often used pompously for bi7id. 

Observe. Do not use for say. 

Obtain. Pretentious synonym for get. When you mean 
get, say get. 

Occasion. On which occasion may be a long and stilted 
substitute for when. 

Occur. Some authorities say that one of the most common 
errors in newspapers is caused by the indiscriminate use of occur 
for take place. Anything occurs when it takes place by chance. 
Punerals do not occur, nor do weddings. 

Off. Do not couple with frorn^ nor with of; e. g., " He 
jumped off [from] the table," "He took the book off [of] the 
table." 



38 



Writing for the Press, 



Old. An old man seventy years of age is a phrase embodying; 
an error not rare in newspapers. Are not all men seventy years 
of age oldl Do not use of (^^^ when you mean old; say, a hoy 
ten years old, not, a boy ten years of age. 

Olfactory organ. High-sounding for nose. 

On. Very often needlessly used, and sometimes wrongly^ 
in referring to special days. In the phrases on last Tuesday, on 
next Sunday, on tomorrow, the on is useless and awkward. On 
Tuesday last is still worse. Furthermore, custom has decided 
that we must say either, " on the 22A of June," or, June 22 ; " 
'^on June 22d" and *^on June 22 " are tabooed. 

Only. Sometimes an adverb, as in, '^I only speak French,'' 
which implies that I do not write it; and sometimes an adjective, 
as in, " I speak only French," which implies that I speak no 
other language. The "best rule is to avoid placing only between 
two emphatic words, and to avoid using only where alone can be. 
substituted for it. See Alone. 

Onto. Vulgar. Say on or upon. 

Oh ! An interjection to be used only of surprise, grief^ 
pain, sorrow, or anxiety. Elsewhere use O." 

Operation. In operation is often used where at work 
would be better, because shorter and Anglo-Saxon, 

Ought. It is vulgar to say or write, ''hadn't ought."^^ 
Ought not to is the proper phrase. 



Writing for the Press. 



39 



Over. "Over a thousand people were there," should be 
More than a thousand people were there.'' 

Pains. When used to mean exertion or trouble^ treat as a 
singular noun. Say, Great pains was taken,'' and not, " Great 
pains were taken." 

Panacea. " Universal panacea " is tautological. 

Pantomime. There is no such word as paiiiomine. 

Pants. All the authorities call it vulgar. Use trousers or 
pa7italoons. 

Partake. Means to take part of, to share. Notice the 
absurdity of this sentence : Being left alone, he partook of a 
hearty meal." 

Partially. Do not use for partly. Partially means with 
unjust or u?ireaso7iable bias. 

Participate. 7"^^^ /^/-Z is shorter. 

Party. Do not use for simple man^ woman, or person. 

Past. Not synonymous with last. The last week is cer- 
tainly a past week, but the past week is not necessarily the last 
week, and this week is surely not a past week. We commonly 
make a subtle and almost unconscious distinction between last 
week and the last week, meaning by last week the last seven days 
that began with Sunday and ended with Saturday, but by the last 
week, the last seven days before the one used as a starting point. 



40 



Writing for the Press, 



Paven. Streets are paved,, not paven. 

Per. Before Latin nouns use per ; before English nouns 
use a; e. g., per an?mm, a year, p^ diem, a day. Do not say per 
day, per week, per month, etc. Avoid using the Latin terms at all. 

Perfect. It is very often said that one thing is more or 
less perfect than another, though of course there can be no 
degree of perfection. Likewise we read such sentences as these : 
" The hall was not so full as it had been ; " The spelling was 
not as correct in this book;'' *'The history is more complete 
than any other ; '' His room was emptier than ever." Fullness, 
correctness, completeness, and emptiness are all conditions 
incapable of degree. Yet in these and similar cases so common 
is the application of degrees of comparison to adjectives of 
themselves superlative in significance, that it is a question 
whether phrases technically incorrect have not been made justi- 
fiable by usage. Of course it is wiser to be on the safe side and 
avoid them. 

Perform. The true musician plays the piano; Miss 
Arabella Shoddy performs on the piano. 

Plea. In connection with legal proceedings, not a correct 
synonym for argument. It is that which is alleged hy a party to 
a suit in support of his cause. It is one of the pleadings and 
is written, not spoken. Therefore it is wrong to speak of a 
lawyer's eloquent plea.'' 

Plead. The imperfect and the past participle are pleaded, 
not plead. 



Writing for the Press. 



Portion. Do not use for pa}'t. A portion is properly a 
part assigned, alloted, set aside for a special purpose ; a share, 
a division. 

Possess. Do not use where merely have is meant. 

Practical, practicable. Discriminate between these 
words. A thing is practicable when it can be done, effected, 
accomplished ; it is practical when it is adapted to use, not 
theoretical. There is a word, impracticable^ but no impractical. 
Discriminate between impracticable and impossible, A thing 
is impracticable,''^ says Webster's Dictionary, ^Svhen it cannot 
be done by any human means at present possessed ; a thing is 
impossible when the laws of nature forbid it." 

Practical benefit. Practical is superfluous. 

Present. Why not say this week, this month, this year, 
rather than the prese7it week, the prese7it mo?ith, the present year ? 

Preside at the organ. A phrase both senseless and trite. 

Preventive. Do not say preventative. 

Previous. An awkward and long-winded substitute for 
before. 

Proceed. Go is shorter by five letters, and in most cases 
gives the meaning better. 



Procure. Pompous substitute iox get. 



42 



Wriiiiig for the Press. 



Propose and purpose. Do not confound. To propose- 
means to make an offer ; to purpose means to intend. 

Proposition. Often used when the shorter word proposal 
would be better. 

Purchase. Buyis shorter and more forcible, and therefore 
far preferable. 

Quite. The best way to treat this much abused word is 
never to use it except in the sense of wholly. There is little- 
authority for its use as a synonym for rather. 

Receive. One man may receive a Wimgfroin^ but never ofy 
another, blank forms of receipts notwithstanding. 

Recipient. Was the recipie?it of means nothing more nor 
less than received. 

Recuperate. Means recover^ nothing more nor less. Use 
the shorter word. 

Relatives. Better than relations to express kindred. 

Reliable. J. R. Lowell calls this ''an abominable word.'' 
The best authorities reject it. Better be on the safe side and say 
trustworthy. 

Replace. Means properly, "to restore to its place." 
Wrongly used for displace, succeed, supercede^ take the place of, and 
supply the place of. 



Writing for the Press. 



43 



Repudiate. Do not use for reject or disow?i. 
Reside. Long-winded for live. 

Resume. The unpretending man takes, not resumes, his 

seat. 

Retire. Vulgarly substituted ior go to bed. 
Reverts back. Does anything ever revert forward ? 

Sales-lady. The use of this word should be confined to 
the "mercantile establishments'' or ''commercial emporiums" 
where the " counter-jumper " shows you an under-vest " when 
you want to buy an under-shirt. 

Section. Often misused for region. Sectio?t, being derived 
from the Latin word meaning ''to cut off," implies a definite 
division. In that section of the country should be in that fart of 
the country or in that regio72. 

Sewer, sewage, sewerage. Sewer, the drain; sewage,. 
the filth drained ; sewerage, the system of draining by sewers. 

Shortly. A questionable and long substitute for soon. 

Signalized. Stilted substitute for celebrated or marked. 

Similar to. An absurdly long way of saying like. 

Since. Do not use for ago when you mean ago. 



44 



Writing for the Press, 



Social. Needless in such phrases as a social dance. 

Species. Kind is shorter and is Anglo-Saxon, and there- 
fore better in many places. 

Splendid. Literally means shining. Its use to express 
very great excellence is coarse. 

Standpoint. Rejected by all the best authorities. Use 
point of view, Viewpoijtt has been suggested as allowable where 
but one word is wanted. 

State. Discriminate between state and say. State means 
to. make known specifically^ to explai?! particularly. 

Stop. Do not use for stay. It is wrong to say that so and 
so is stopping at Young's." 

Subsequent. Never be so stilted and vulgar as to say 
subsequent to for simple after. 

Sufficient. Often a long substitute for enough^ which has 
the added advantage of being Anglo-Saxon. 

Suicide. Must 7iot be used as a verb. 

Sum. Figures must not begin a sentence, and so it is 
sometimes convenient to begin with, ''The sum of $25,000," or 
the like. Elsewhere in the sentence, for newspaper purposes 
at least, the sum of is worse than useless. 



Writing for the Press, 



45 



Suspect. You cannot suspect a man of being in his 
natural condition. You may suspect a man of being insane, but 
you do not suspect his sanity, you doubt it. 

Suspicioned. Vulgar. Note the following extract from 
The New York World: "'She Suspicioned the Old Man' is a 
headline in The Boston Herald. Sad is the day when we cannot 
look to Boston for good newspaper English, and yet that day has 
arrived. 

Tapis. " On the tapis " is vulgar. Say, "on the carpet/' 
The French phrase is S24.r le tapis, and we have no nght to 
translate two words and not the third. 

That, who, which. The best writers generally use that 
as a restrictive relative, who and which as co-ordinating relatives. 
This distinction can be understood by careful study of the 
following sentences : 

( The house that he built still stands. 



The tallest man there was Jones, whom (and him) I saw. 



This house, which (and it) is mine, still stands. 



The tallest man that I ever saw was Jones. 



All men that are honest speak the truth. 

Some men, who (and they) are honest, speak the truth. 



46 



Writing for the Press. 



Which may be used for that to avoid repetition, and you 
must often be governed by the ear in the choice between these 
words. 

The. Whenever of immediately follows the present parti- 
ciple, the must precede it, and vice versa. Say the giving of 
charity^ or givi?ig charity, but not giving of charity nor the giving 
charity. 

The above. An inelegant phrase. 

Then. Wrongly used as an adjective, as in, "The then 
mayor of Philadelphia.'' 

There. Often uselessly employed in the phrase there are^ 
as in the sentence, "There are many who frown on it;'' it would 
be briefer and in most .cases better to say, "Many frown on it." 

Those kind. Ungrammatical, as is also those sort. 

To. Implies motion. " I was down to the hall " is wrong. 
" I went down to the hall " is right. 

Transpire. Correctly used if leak out can be substituted 
for it j wrongly used if take place can be substituted for it. 

Ult., inst., prox. Use as little as possible. Say last 
mofith^ this month ^ next month. 

Upon. Do not use for on^ as in the sentence, "I called 
upon him to speak." On is shorter. 



Writijig for the Press. 



47 



Veteran. " Old veteran" is tautological. Omit old. 

Veracious . Say truthful ; likewise, truthfulness for veracity. 

When. Shorter and far better than at the ti77ie that or at 
which time. In at the time whe?i three words are clearly super- 
fluous. 

Whence. It is as wrong to say from whence as to say 
from hence or f ro7n thence. 

Whereabouts. Do not use as the subject of a plural verb. 
Say, " The whereabouts of the criminal was unknown," not, '^were 
unknown." 

Who are. The wordy writer delights in saying, The men 
and women who are employed," etc. Such use of the phrase, 
though not ungrammatical, is often needless. 

Whose. May be applied to brutes and inanimate things 
as well as to human beings ; e. g., " The dogs whose barking I 
heard and the houses whose roofs I saw led me to think a village 
was near by." 

Witness. Do not use as a big, stilted synonym for see. 

Young. Needless in such phrases as a young girl eleven 
years old, 

" Pants are worn by gents who eat lunches and opeii wine, and 
trousers are worn by gentlemen who eat luncheons and order 
wine." — \_Alfred Ayres. 



48 



Writing for the Press. 



Shoddy people might donate caskets for deceased females ; 
refined people would give coffiiis for dead women. 

Reliable parties C077ime7ice operations for the erection of a depot ; 
trustworthy me7i tegi7i buildi7ig a statio7i. 

Do not spell forward^ backward, ho7neward, afterward, dow7i- 
ward^ toward, earthward, upward, and heave7iward, with a final ^\ 
The letter is useless, and it takes time and space. 

Be careful not to use needlessly the phrases the other day, 
rece7itly, 7iot lo7ig ago, and the like. Often they detract from the 
force of an otherwise interesting paragraph, Moreover, they 
sometimes stamp as too old for printing what might without 
them pass the editor and make good reading. It is not always 
wise to be too specific about time. 

It is an easy rule to remember that around denotes rest, 
and round, motion. 

The too-explicit writer says ''the lodge will meet Tuesday 
evening, January 15, 1889, at 7.30 o'clock P. M./' where 
''January 15, at 7.30 P. M.,'"' is all the detail necessary in a 
newspaper. According to this writer the lodge has extended 
an invitation to the Board of Grand Officers to be present and 
take part in the ceremony/'' The lodge in reality "invited the 
Grand Officers to take part in the ceremony"; they surely could 
not take part if they were not present. After the aflEair this 
same writer says, "the lodge celebrated its anniversary by giving 
a supper/'' though the necessity of the word givifig does not 



Writing for the Press. 



49 



appear. After " the gathering had assembled " and " the large 
audience that filled the hall " had heard the entertainment, the 
people "adjourned to the banquet hall (supper room ?)," wliere 
the always "bounteous collation was enjoyed." "After the cigars 
had been lighted," as usual, "speech making w^as in order and 
addresses were made," as if addresses might be made if speeches 
were not in order. Then " District Deputy Grand Commander 
John Brown was presented with a jewel by Brother B. B. Smith," 
when the paper wants to say that " B. B. Smith presented a 
jewel to D. D. G. C. John Brown." According to the report 
Deputy Brown said he would do all that lay in his power to 
organize a lodge in the town of Smithley, as if his hearers cared 
whether Smithley was a town or city, and whether he would do 
all that lay in his power or all he could. At another meeting 
of this lodge the business was "proceeded with" very slowly, 
instead of being " transacted." Some member " desired " the 
lodge to occupy a new hall "providing" the "expense" would 
not be too "heavy." He really "wanted" this if the " cost " 
would not be too "much." "A great majority of the members," 
instead of "most of the members," "antagonized" instead of 
"opposing" the project. It w^as announced that another 
member had " sustained an accident," which sounded better 
than "met with an accident," but he was "recovering from its 
effects," or in other words "getting; well." It seems he had 
been thrown "a distance of fifty feet" by an explosion, though 
what fifty feet could be but " a distance " did not appear. 

"Newspapers and novels alike keep their 'pet words' — 
words which, like other pets, are often in the way, often fill places 
that belong to their betters. A good speech is termed ' breezy ' 



so 



JVjHimg for the P?rss. 



or ' neat a good style, ' crisp ' or ' incisive ' ; an ^ utterance ' or 
a comely countenance, 'clear-cut' or * clean-cut.' Bad features 
are ' accentuated ' by sickness. Lectures are ' punctuated ' 
with applause. Many things, from noses to tendencies, are 
pronounced ' A clergyman 'performs' at a funeral ; a musician 
'officiates' at the piano-forte. Many questions are 'pivotal' 
Many things, from a circus to a new book, have an ' advent.' 
Every week something is ' inaugurated ' or ' initiated.' ' Factor ' 
and * feature' appear in the oddest company, and 'environment' 
has become a weariness to the spirit. 

"Newspapers and novels are each fond of the last new 
word that has crept into the slang of the day from some quarter 
too obscure to be known or too vulgar to be named. We read, 
for example, of schemes for * raking in the dimes.' One poetical 
paragraph ends : ' It pulls one up dreadfully in one's reverie 
to hear,' etc. Newspapers 'take stock in ' a senator, and 'get to 
the bottom fact ' of a discussion. The hero of one novel is 
'padded to the nines'; the heroine of another has a brow, eyes, 
and face that are all ' strung up to the concert-pitch.' The 
journalist's candidate and the novelist's villain alike 'put in an 
appearance.' " — [Prof. A. S. Hill, "English in Newspapers and 
Novels," Scribner's Magazine, September, 1887. 

ERRORS OF ARRANGEMENT. 

45. Among the most amusing errors in the use of language, 
are those that result from bad arrangement of words. The 
following examples, many of them from recent newspapers, will 
illustrate this. The words or phrases in italics are misplaced : 

" He blew out his brains after bidding his v/ife good-by 

wiih a gwiy 



Wriii?ig for the Press, 



SI 



An unquestioned man ot genius." 

" They will 7iot merely interest children, but grown-up persons." 

We never remember to have seen," etc. 

" I saw a man talking to the Rev. Mr. Blank, who was so 
drunk he could hardly stand'' 

" The action of Mr. Walker is condemned on all sides in 
removing the windows and doors y 

The snake remained coiled about his limb until he ran home, 
nearly a mile, and was dispatched by his another,'' 

" The tannery property at Milford has been sold to A. J. 
Foster, who has a currying business in Woburn, and a morocco 
business in Boston Highlands, /^r $j,ooo.'' 

" Carrera died on the same day that President Lincoln was shot 
and was buried with great pomp." 

^' A little girl was struck by some cars that were being switched 
in the yard and crushed^ — Buffalo Express, 

The buildings were begun in 1876, and Mrs. Stewart 
met Bishop Littlejohn and the clergy of his diocese on the 8th 
iw'^X,, for the purpose of opening them,'" — Illustrated London News, 

The St. Mary's (Md.) Enterprise relates that a few days ago a 
buggy occupied by gentleman and lady caught fire from a brick 
that was heated for the benefit of the lady's comfort while on the 
road to Leonardtown. 



52 



Writing for the Press. 



Erected to the memory of John Phillips accidentally shot 

as a mark of affection by his br other, 

"The Present Constitution. — Hon. John D. Long Tells 
How It Came to be Adopted in a Lecture in the Old South 
Course." 

The Norristown Herald is happy over a new Hoe press, and 
points with pride to the fact that it was started in the last century." 
[The clauses connected by " and " should be reversed.] 

The Waterville Mail said that a Waterville young lady of 
somnambulistic tendencies (addicted to sleep-walking?) found 
herself in her father's stable by the side of a vicious horse in her 
night-dress. 

The head-lines of the Manchester Union's report of Sunday 
services read: "^SINFUL PLEASURES/ — The First of 
A Series by Rev. C. W. Heizer." 

Advertisements from Enghsh newspapers : Lost — A cameo 
brooch, representing Venus and Adonis whilst walking on Sandy 
Mount, on Sunday last." Wanted — A nurse for an infant between 
twenty-five and thirty, a member of the Church of England, and 
without any followers." 

In the Morning Chronicle's account of Lord Macaulay's 
funeral occurred the following sentence : " When placed upon the 
ropes over the grave, and while being gradually lowered into the 
earth, the organ again pealed forth." 



Writing for t/ie Press. 



S3 



MIXED METAPHORS. 

46. Take care not to mix your metaphors. Here are some 
examples of this error from recent newspapers : 

" Bill Nye is on the tidal wave. He is too original to ever lose 
his grip, to speak plain." — [Notice "to ever lose " and ''to speak 
plain."] 

The chariot of revolution is rolling onward and gnashing its 
teeth as it rolls/' is what a Berlin revolutionist told the students 
in 1848. 

The regular correspondent of a Boston paper wrote the 
tollowing sentence in one of his letters : " It was bastard-born 
so to speak, — the unwelcome offspring of an ill-considered 
and hastily-conceived scheme for a new City Hall, which was 
railroaded through the City Council under whip and spur, and 
finally collapsed because in the end nobody cared to father it.'' 

The Bosto7i yournac editorially declared that Fred Douglass 
would not ''be blinded by the noise of brass bands." 

A correspondent of the Hartford Times wrote thus of 
Mr. Blaine's course : " Like the drowning man, he did not let 
the grass grow under his feet before snatching at a straw. From 
the festal capital of France sounded a bugle blast that sent an 
electric thrill of no narrow vibrations through the grand old 
party, whose worn-out bloody shirt was rapidly transforming 
into a funeral shroud." 



54 



Writing for the Press. 



47. SOME WORDS WITH PUZZLING PLURALS. 



Singular. 

Addendum 

Aide-de-camp 

Analysis 

Appendix 
Bandit 

Beau •< 

Chef d'oeuvre 

Cherub 

Crisis 

Criterion 

Datum 

Dictum 

Effluvium 

Erratum 

Facetia 

Focus 

Formula -< 



m 7 

Plural. 


Singular. 


Plural. 


Addenda 
Aides-de-camp 


Genius 


f Geniuses(men)- 
\ Genii (spirits) 


Analyses 


Hypothesis 


Hypotheses 


Appendices 


Larva 


Larvae 


x\ppendixes 


Magus 


Magi 


Banditti 


Matrix 


Matrices 


Bandits 
Beaux 


TV 4-^ Memorandums 
Memorandum 

( Memoranda 


Beaus 


Miasma ■ 


Miasmata 


Chefs d oeuvre 


Parenthesis 


Parentheses 


Cherubmi 


Phenomenon 


Phenomena 


Crises 


Seraph 


Seraphim 


Criteria 


Spoonful 


Spoonfuls 


Data 
Dicta 


Stigma 


1 Stigmata 
I Stigmas 


Effluvia 


Tableau 


Tableaux. 


Errata 


Terminus 


Termini. 


Facetiae 


Thesis 


Theses 


Foci 


Tumulus 


Tumuli 


Formulas 


"Vertebra 


Vertebrae 


Formulae 


Virtuoso 


Virtuosi 



PUNCTUATION. 

48. It is foolish for a newspaper writer of any grade to suppose- 
that the desk-editor or proof-reader exists mainly for punctuation- 
purposes. It is the duty of every writer to punctuate his own copy 
to the best of his ability. It is a strange fact that some reporters, 
and correspondents who have been writing for the press for years^. 



WritiJig for the Press, 



55 



constantly break even the few very simple rules that follow, thus 
imposing needless drudgery on desk editor, compositor, or proof- 
reader. 

49. Put a period after every sentence that does not require an 
interrogation or exclamation point ; after every abbreviated word 
that is not abbreviated by an apostrophe for letters omitted ; after 
Roman numerals. 

50. Use the colon when introducing a speech or quotation 
consisting of more than one sentence ; before a series of propositions 
or statements formally introduced by as follows^ namely, thus, etc. ; 
and before a short quotation formally introduced. 

51. When two or more clauses of a sentence are not so closely 
connected as to admit the use of a comma, a semi-colon is used. 

52. Bigelow well says ; Commas are properly used, not for the 
purpose of showing where pauses are to be made in reading, but to 
present to the eye the proper grammatical construction of the 
sentence, so that one reading a new book or newspaper cannot 
fail to perceive the meaning at first sight." It is clear, then, that 
only a good grammarian can use the comma correctly, and so I 
must beg leave to refer the reader to any of the many good works 
on grammar or rhetoric. 

53. An indirect question should not have an interrogation-mark 
after it. 

54. Oh! always requires the exclamation-point immediately after 
it, save when the sentence has an exclamation-point at the end. 
O should never have the point immediately after it. 



S6 



Winning for the Press. 



55. Note the difference in the use of parentheses and brackets. 
The use of brackets is restricted to interpolations, corrections, notes, 
or explanations made by writers in quotations from others, or by 
editors in editing works. 

56. All nouns in the singular number, whether proper names or 
not, and all nouns in the plural ending with any other letter than s^ 
form the possessive by the addition of the apostrophe and the letter 
s. The possessive pronoun never takes the apostrophe. 

57. Probably quotation marks cause more serious errors in the 
daily newspaper than any other of the marks of punctuation. It is 
a common thing to see a quotation begun and never ended. Often 
the misuse of the marks puts the responsibility for the words on the 
wrong person and sometimes it is impossible to tell who is 
responsible for them, — the writer, the speaker, or some third person 
quoted by the speaker. The fault is usually that of the writer, 
sometimes that of the compositor. The proof-reader cannot be 
blamed, because of the disconnected way in which newspaper 
proofs usually come to him. The writer should be very careful to 
make the quotation-marks large and clear, that they may not be 
mistaken for commas or apostrophes. The compositor should 
exercise equal care. Double marks should precede and follow direct 
quotations ; where one quotation occurs within another, single 
marks only should be used. If the quotation does not begin a 
paragraph, none should be made before its close. Every new 
paragraph or stanza of the quotation should have the beginning 
marks, but only the last should have the closing marks. A 
paragraph of a quotation within a quotation has both double and 
single marks at the beginning, but only the single mark at the 
end, unless it closes the whole quotation, when it has both single 



Writing for the Press. 



57 



and double. In quotation do not repeat typographical errors 
and mis-spellings unless you wish to hold printer or author up to 
ridicule. 

58. The fashion changes in punctuation as in everything else, 
and it is the fashion now to use capital letters sparingly ; once 
every prominent word was capitalized, and the style may still be 
seen in the letters of very old people. Fashion also now frowns 
on the use of italics to emphasize single words. They are now 
rarely used with propriety except for words distinctly foreign. 
Many people, especially women, have a habit of underscoring 
words they wish to emphasize, and those who have acquired the 
foolish habit find it hard to bear in mind that the printer will set 
underscored words in italics. Therefore it is wise not to acquire 
the habit. It may not be the fashion, but it is surely the ten- 
dency of the fashion, to discard the semi-colon and the colon. 
Wherever the comma can serve the purpose formerly effected by 
the semi-colon, preference is given to the comma, and the colon 
is now seldom used except in formally introducing quotations, 
extracts, etc. (By the way, when the extract or quotation thus 
introduced contains more than one sentence, a new paragraph 
should begin with it, but if only one sentence, it is usually " run 
in,'' as the printers say. If the new paragraph is made, the 
colon is followed by a dash ; if not, the dash is omitted.) If the 
colon and semi-colon are used, it is surely worth while to use 
them intelligently, and not indiscriminately, for their object is 
often only to express fine shades of meaning, and this requires a 
clear understanding of the exact significance of the points them- 
selves. Especially obnoxious is the habit many people have, of 
writing these points so carelessly that the compositor cannot tell 
which of them is meant. 



58 Writing for the Press. 

59. The best way to learn to punctuate is to take a well- 
printed book and ask yourself the significance of every punctua- 
tion mark in as nriany of its pages as you can find time to study. 
No two newspaper offices punctuate alike. The best way for 
you to find out about the punctuation of the paper for which you 
write, is to study its columns. 

PROOF-READING. 

60. To make sure that printed matter shall appear as you 
wrote it, or as you want it to appear, you must stipulate with the 
printer that he shall show you a " proof/' which is a rough print- 
made as soon as the type is set. Unless this stipulation is made, 
you can make no just complaint if errors have crept in and been 
unobserved. Newspapers almost never submit proofs to contri- 
butors outside the office unless they are especially requested, but 
the request will be almost never refused. Job printers, too, 
seldom send proofs voluntarily. Some of the magazines send 
them without the asking, and some do not. Book printers 
usually take the trouble to consult the author's wishes, and ever3r 
wise author takes the chance to verify his work. 

61. It should be the writer's aim to have his copy before it 
leaves his hands, just as he wants it printed. Changes in proof 
that could have been avoided by care with copy, make a needless 
cost and a sheer waste to somebody. If the writer is paying the 
printer, such changes are at the writer's expense, and they often 
make not the least considerable item in the bill. If the pub- 
lisher, whether it be of book, magazine, or newspaper, pays the 
charges, the writer that has been careless, inflicts on him the 
unnecessary loss. Of course the look of a thing in print is often 
different from its look in manuscript, and then changes may be 



Writmg for the Press. 



59 



pardonable, but it is the duty of the literary workman to realize 
beforehand how the types will make his sentences read, and the 
better workman he is, the less work will he make the printer. 

62. The first proof is known as the galley proof/' because 
it is taken from the type while yet in the ''galley," or frame, and 
not made up into pages. The printer's proof-reader corrects on 
it the compositor's errors, and if they are many, usually has 
them corrected in the type before any proof is submitted to the 
writer. If not, the writer also makes his changes on this first 
proof. 

63. After the type has been corrected^ or presumably cor- 
rected, another proof is taken, known as the ''revised proof,'' 
or, more commonly, the "revise." The careful and particular 
writer will also demand a look at this, to see that the changes he 
wanted have been made. In fine book work, a third and even a 
fourth proof is sometimes submitted, but every new proof means 
of course added expense to somebody. After the last " revise " 
has been returned, if it is proof of a book or a magazine article, 
the matter is made up into pages, and then page proofs " are 
taken which it is desirable the author should see for fear lest in 
handling the type some lines may have been transposed, or some 
other accident have happened. Changes in page proofs are 
more costly than in galley proofs, for if they consist of adding or 
taking out more than a few words, they necessitate '* making up " 
anew at least two pages and perhaps several more. An inex- 
perienced printer may neglect to send any proofs till the matter 
has been made up into pages, and it will do no hurt always to 
stipulate that galley proofs shall be submitted. 



5tcJ/. 60 Writing fof the Pres>/ ^^ 




[j^64. Proof is read in the printingyfeffice by two persons, one who 
reads the proof itself, the " proof-reader," and one who reads the j^^ 
copy, the " copy-holder/_ In book ofnces the copy-holder reads 9 
aloud from the manuscript while the proof-reader looks down A^ti^ 
jSAII the proof. In newspaper offices, wh^ time is more precious^and ^ 

'^^-^^^ utm'osr-accuracy not so essential, the processis usually re- 
^/ versed, the copy^^t>kler being the listener. -.The s\riter, being ^ 
_L thoroughlyjfamiliar witn^ke subject matter, can safely read proof ^ / f 
by himself, but where figureKand names are plenty, ^ will find ^&/Jy 
the help of a friend useful.^ 64^ If you feel obliged to strike ^^^^^^ 
yj out a single word from proof^try to insert another, if possibl^^^v^ 
' about the same length and in the same line, or at least in the ^ 
same sentence. If you make a new paragiapli lu page p t ouf , 
take out some words or oontoncOy vThe insertion of several 



1 



%^ uMJ words, or the erasi<>H of several, may necessitate the re-arrang- mr-^ 
ing of many lines and so make a mighty oop t of trouble if the 
paragraphs are*^tong and the change does nm come near the end 
of one. The addition or subtractior/ of words enough to 



make an even line does little harm, exgept. in pa^p prnnfQ ^ 
^When a cross-line is inserted in ne\^paper prppfg ; try to take 
such words for the cross-line that th/ next wor^j ^fter is one that 



begins a line. By the way, the proper marks for such crppp line A^i^ 
Qare paragraph marks before jmd after the words to make it, 
with a continuous line drawn >under th^se words from IT to 1[. o^l 
The best newspaper practio^ is to have these cross-lines not 
\7 ^breakj^i. e. to take only enough words to make one line in the 

heavy-faced type used for/fhem/^ ® . 

C/y{^ 66. Never hesitate u/ use the proof marks given here or to 'Cf.c. I 
^r;^^2.^^/-jDe found in the f4ar of dictionaries. They will be understood 
""^y every printe ' . • . • 

[ExpLANATroxs : — "Ital." stands for Italics; "c", indent; ''stel", lei it stattd, with 
dots under the word that is not to be taken out; less spaae ; "X", lad letier ; ''l", 

splice stickitio^np ; '"w. f.", ivrong" font letter ; "lI", jnove ivords to%vard ; ''caps", capital 
■letters; *'s. q..^\ srnall caps ; ''1. c", loix<er case ; ''C", no space. "Qy." was written b}' the 
proof-reader, and was a ^'^^J^rr about the word rrf^jrz'^?;^. The author approved^ the change^ to 
erasure, and so drew a line through '"Qy." The sign to the right of '''reads''' in the third line 
indicated that the letter '*s" should be inverted. The dele sign took out the hyphen from 
^'printing-office", and the sentence in the middle of the page. The other marks are self- 
explanatory.] 




Wrtti7ig for the Press. 



6i 



64. Proof is read in the printing office by two persons, one 
who reads the proof itself, the proof-reader,'^ and one who 
reads the copy, the copy-holder.'* In book offices the copy- 
holder reads aloud from the manuscript while the proof-reader 
looks down the proof. In newspaper offices, where time is more 
precious and the utmost accuracy not so essential, the process is 
usually reversed, the copy-holder being the listener. The writer, 
being thoroughly familiar with the subject matter, can safely read 
proof by himself, but where figures and names are plenty, he 
will find the help of a friend useful. 

65. If you feel obliged to strike out a single word from proof, 
try to insert another, if possible of about the same length and 
in the same line, or at least in the same sentence. The inser- 
tion of several words, or the erasure of several, may necessitate 
the re-arranging of many lines and so make a good deal of 
trouble if the paragraphs are long and the change does not come 
near the end of one. The addition or substraction of words 
enough to make an even line does little harm, except in page 
proofs. When a cross-line is inserted in newspaper proofs, try 
to take such words for the cross-line that the next word after is 
one that begins a line. By the way, the proper marks for such 
cross-line are paragraph marks before and after the words to 
make it, with a continuous line drawn under those words from 
IF to IT. The best newspaper practice is to have these cross- 
lines not "break," i. e. to take only enough words to make one 
line in the heavy-faced type used for them. 

66. NEVER HESITATE to use the proof marks given here or 
to be found in the rear of dictionaries. They will be under- 
stood by every printer. 



62 



Writing for the Press. 



67. The author should never rub out proof marks with an 
eraser, but if he wishes to cancel them, should draw a line 
through them. 

68. When the proof-reader is in doubt about some change or 
wishes to call the author's attention to what may or may not be 
an error, he puts a question mark, ?, or Qy., for "Query," in the 
margin, next the mark indicating his idea of the desired change^ 
if he ventures any. In that case it is the author's duty in the 
first place to draw a line through the ? or Qy.^ to show that he 
has noticed it. If he wants the proof-reader's suggestion to 
stand, he does nothing to it, the line through the ? or Qy, being 
approval enough. If he disapproves the correction, he draws a 
line through that also. 

69 Book, magazine, and job printers usually submit the copy 
with the proof, and when this is done the copy should always be 
returned with the proof. If the first proof is sent with the 

revise," or if two proofs are sent, one with the proof-reader's 
corrections and the other for the writer's, both should be re- 
turned. 

7c. It is better to correct proofs with ink than with pencil, 
especially when they are to be sent to a distance, as pencil marks 
are likely to become illegible. 

NEWSPAPER WRITING. 

71. First of all, study the columns of the paper for which you 
write. Note the system by which the styles of type are used, 
Mark the position of dates ; the way letters to the editor are 
addressed ; the use of sub-heads " and "cross-lines;" the style 



Wriihig for the Press. 



63 



of punctuation and capitalization; and the many other points on 
which uniformity is desirable. Every newspaper has definite 
forms for summaries of sporting matters, such as base-ball and 
cricket games, trotting and running races, lacrosse and polo 
matches. Note the forms used in the paper for which you write, 
and always follow them. Shipping news, market reports, and 
other department matter is often formulated. 

72. Every well-ordered composing-room has what is called its 
*• style," i. e., its system of printing words that maybe printed in 
two or more ways. For instance, Boston's chief thoroughfare 
may be printed "Washington Street,'^ Washington street," or 

Washington St." The paper for which you write, will always 
print it in one way, and you will save somebody time and trouble 
if you will notice what that way is, and write it so in the first 
place. Some offices spell out figures up to fifty, and use the 
Arabic numerals for higher figures ; e. g , " thirty-seven," "87." 
Notice where the change is made from letters to figures in the 
paper for which you write. It is in the matter of abbreviations 
that observation on this point is most desirable. 

73. Put your name on everything you write, at the top of the 
first sheet. 

74. Date everything sent by mail, messenger, or telegraph. 
Whenever anything is dated, use tenses, the words "to-day," 

yesterday," etc., in reference to the date. When it is not 
dated, use them in reference to the date on which the matter is 
to be printed. If matter be intended for use on any special day, 
such as Sunday, or in any special department, such as the sport- 
ing department, always make a note of it on the envelope. 



64 



Writing for the Press. 



75. Everything in the nature of news should be sent or given 
at the earliest possible moment to the editor who is to take 
charge of it. Nowhere else is time so precious as in the news- 
paper office. 

76. Whenever time permits, read over what you have written 
before any one else sees it j never act on the principle that as 
some one else is to edit it, you need not exercise care. After 
the matter appears in the newspaper, read it over to see what 
changes have been made, that any errors you have committed 
may never be repeated. 

77. Write your own head-lines whenever you well can, except 
when matter is sent by telegraph. Note the number of letters 
in the different head-lines and model your own thereby. If yoa 
do not write your own "head," leave space enough for it at the 
top of the first sheet. 

78. Editors often find it hard to judge of the relative value of 
news items sent by mail from a remote city or town, and if lack 
of room makes it necessary that some shall be omitted, the deci- 
sion is made easier if the important items are designated by a 
note on the margin or on a separate sheet. A story that can wait 
as well as not should be marked, ''When Room/^ on the top of 
the first page. Anything of especial consequence that the cor- 
respondent believes no other paper will get, may well be marked, 
" Exclusive." 

79. In measuring copy or printed matter it is safe for news- 
paper purposes to assume that the average number of words in a 
line found by counting the number in a few lines^ is the correct 



6s 



average for the whole thing. The number of words may always 
be estimated ; no editor demands an exact count. Therefore in 
measuring slips for making out bills, it is safe to count the words 
in any inch and multiply by the number of inches. Compound 
words count as two words. When an editor orders looo words, he 
means an article that will fill about the space that looo ordinary 
words would occupy. The lines in most newspapers average be- 
tween seven and eight words. The news columns of most news- 
papers are set in nonpareil, and there are twelve nonpareil lines 
to the inch. The columns are usually between twenty and twenty- 
four inches long, so that the number of words in a news column 
ranges from 1600 to 2400. It is the custom to speak of 2000 
words of news matter as a column, and many papers pay on that 
basis. Editorial matter, being set in larger type and leaded, will 
range between 1000 and 1500 words to the column. It will be 
found useful to remember that ordinary type-writer copy averages 
almost exactly twelve words to the line. 

80. Never address an article intended for publication to any 
particular person connected with a newspaper, unless it requires 
his personal notice before it goes to the printers. The most com- 
mon blunder is to address news packages to the managing editor, 
using his name and not that of his position. If the paper prints 
both morning and evening editions, the chances are even that the 
news w^ill be delayed twelve hours, for no managing editor is on 
duty more than half of the twenty-four. The envelope should 
be marked " News/' and then it is best not to put the managing 
editors name on it, for, if he ought to look it over, it will get to 
him anyway, and if there is no need of his seeing it, chance of 
delay will be avoided. 



66 



Writing for the Press, 



81. CM. Hammond gave good advice in The Writer to writ- 
ers who wish to submit manuscripts in newspaper offices where 
they are not regularly employed. Said he : — 

You gain nothing and lose much by calling on the editor 
personally with your articles. If he be an editor who amounts 
to anything, he is always busy in office hours. He has no time 
to talk with you or listen to your explanations. He wishes you 
hadn't called, and he is prejudiced against you and whatever you 
may have written. He would rather treat with you by means of 
the mail. It saves time and annoyance, and you are sure of 
being used as well." 

82. Never put an editorial opinion into a news paragraph. 
Never allow personal feeling to bias what you write. Never 
write anything the authorship of which you would not be willing 
to own. Never write anything that you would not like your 
mother, your sister, or your child to read. 

83. If you cannot say anything good of a man or thing, say 
as little as possible unless the public good requires the contrary. 
Tell the truth. Make every effort to be accurate in every partic- 
ular. False statements may end in libel suits. An enG:.mous 
responsibility rests on every writer for the press. A single piece 
of carelessness^ a single credited rumor may ruin some man's 
life. The newspaper makes and unmakes reputations. Honor 
and justice demand the greatest care in the exercise of what is 
unquestionably the most tremendous power of modern times. 

84. The Cincinnati Enquirer added to the reprint in its columns 
of the first edition of this book some directions for its own cor- 



Writing for the Press. 



67 



respondents, of which these may be profitably read by any writer 
for the press : — 

It is assumed that every woman whose name is written in 
copy intended for publication, is beautiful or handsome or lovely 
or all three. Therefore, it is unnecessary to mention that any 
person is either. 

Always tell the truth, no matter who is hurt or helped. 
" Remember that as a correspondent of the Enquirer you oc- 
cupy a place of great responsibility and trust. Do not try to use 
it to injure any one. Do not try to punish any person you may 
dislike. He has rights, even if you don't like him. Always aim 
to be absolutely impartial and just. In this way you can best 
serve the Enquirer and elevate the noble profession of journal- 
ism. You preach to more people in the Enquirer every morning 
than any minister addresses in a year. Your influence for good 
may be boundless ; for evil, equally great. Remember this, and 
be careful and sure. If you are right, let no man or men frighten 
you from your position." 

TELEGRAPH CORRESPONDENCE. 

85. Never send a telegraph despatch to any paper unless {a) 
you have general authority to do it, {f) you have received speci- 
fic instructions, or {c) the pressure of time and the importance of 
the news seem to you to warrant your proceeding without author- 
ity or instructions. 

{a) An appointment as a regular correspondent of a news- 
paper does not as a rule convey authority to use the telegraph 
without specific instruction in each instance. 

{V) If the correspondent knows in advance of some impor- 
tant meeting, celebration, or other affair that cannot be reported 



68 



Wri/ing J or the Press. 



in time by mail, he should write to his editor and ask for instruc- 
tions. If time will not allow that, or if the news is of the unex- 
pected sort, like the news of a murder, fire, explosion, or other 
catastrophe, the request for instructions should be made by wire^ 
in which case it is known as a bulletin or "query." Few 
papers of consequence are unwilling to pay the telegraph tolls on 
bulletins, whether sent by regular or unknown correspondents, 
but still an unknown correspondent has to run some risk of hav- 
ing to pay these tolls. Despatches sent without bulletins by un- 
known correspondents are almost invariably returned to the 
sender for payment, when not accepted, and most papers also 
make it a rule with regular correspondents to. return for payment 
of tolls matter sent without a bulletin and not printed. Some 
editors always make a reply to bulletins, either accepting or de- 
clining, but many do not, and the rule is that no reply means 
"No.'' 

{c) Important news -secured late is often sent wdthout bulletin, 
but seldom profitably by inexperienced telegraph correspondents. 
Few kinds of newspaper work require better judgment or more 
skill. Regular correspondents can usually send safely without 
bulletins despatches of loo words or less. In the case of a long 
story that the correspondent has no time to bulletin, he often 
sends his first sheet of copy to the telegraph ofiice a little ahead 
of the rest, and prefaces the story with a sentence like this : 

"One thousand words on . Stop if you do not want." 

Then if the editor does not want it, he can stop it before more 
than one sheet has been sent. 

86. Do not send more words than are ordered unless you are 
unusually positive that your knowledge of facts or the develop- 



Writing for the Press. 



69 



ments after the bulletin was sent, make your judgment better 
than the editor's, whose knowledge is of course limited by the 
bulletin. Remember that his order is often determined by the 
space available or by other considerations of which you know 
nothing. A variation from his order of one-tenth the number of 
words one way or the other will seldom be censured. 

87. Every correspondent should learn at what hours the dif- 
ferent editions of his paper go to press. He should always allow 
time enough to get his despatches through/' and remember here 
as always that time is an all-important factor. The earlier a 
despatch is filed, the more likely it is to get printed. In sending 
despatches to a paper at a distance, do not forget to take into 
account the difference in time. Correspondents should never 
order matter for morning papers sent before 6 o'clock, though it 
may be filed at the telegraph office earlier with instructions to 
send after that hour, thus securing night rates. 

88. When long despatches are filed at the telegraph office 
where several wires can be secured, time will be saved if the order 
is given, " Send by letters," and the despatch is divided into three 
or more parts, with pages numbered respectively, la, 2a, 3a," 
etc., lb, 2b, 3b," etc., " ic, 2c, 3c," etc. 

89. Instructions to the operator, written at the beginning of 
the despatch, will secure attention to paragraph marks. 

90. Telegraph correspondents should always sign their full 
names to despatches, and not simply their initials or surnames. 
When correspondents employ substitutes to send despatches, the 



70 



Writing for the Press. 



name of the regular correspondent, and not that of the substi- 
tute, should be signed. 

91, Few big papers now want despatches " skeletonized," i. e.. 
sent with the articles and other minor words omitted. If cor- 
responding for a small paper get instructions beforehand on this 
point 

92. The following extracts are from articles by William H. 
Hills in The Writer for April, May, and June, 1887 : — 

" Always begin your story with a short, strong sentence. Come 
to the point at once. Don't waste words telling what you are 
going to tell. Go ahead and tell it. What you want is to inter- 
est your reader at the outset, and if your story is going to interest, 
him at all, the main fact put at the beginning simply and strong- 
ly will attract his attention quicker than anything else. 

" Don't get the idea into your head that because a sentence is 
simple it must be commonplace. 

" Do away utterly with the idea that writing a special despatch^ 
to be sent by telegraph to a paper 1500 miles away, is essentially 
different from writing a story to be printed in your own city. 

" You may gain a temporary advantage by exaggeration and. 
untruthfulness ; but, in the long run, you will find that honesty is 
the best policy for the special correspondent, as it is for most 
other people. Be truthful, then, in writing your despatches. At 
the same time make them as picturesque and entertaining as you 
can, avoiding the common-place and trying always to look at. 
your subject from some novel point of view. 

Study the style of the paper to which you are telegraphing. 
Notice how much space it gives daily to telegraph news. Notice 



Writing for the Press. 



71 



with what sort of news that space is filled. Notice what kinds of 
despatches are printed in full, and what kinds of despatches are 
condensed to a paragraph. Notice, more than anything else, the 
disposition of the despatches you yourself may send." 

TYPOGRAPHICAL AND MISCELLANEOUS. 

93. Everybody knows that books are printed in sheets, with 
several pages on a sheet, but everybody does not know that these 
sheets are called **' signatures.'' The name comes from the ^' sig- 
nature" or sign at the bottom of the sheet, put there chiefly as 
an aid to the binder, the various sheets of a book being num- 
bered (i), (2), (3), etc, or (A), (B), (C), etc , or by combinations 
of letters and figures. On each signature are printed as a rule 
four pages, or some multiple of four. A signature of four pages 
is known as a folio, being made by folding the sheet once. Fold 
it again and a quarto is the result, bearing eight pages. Fold it 
a third time and you have an octavo^ with sixteen pages. Still 
another fold makes a \6fno., with thirty-two pages. The fifth fold 
makes a 7^2mo., with sixty-four pages. The sheets of few books 
are folded more than this, but occasionally a 6/\.mo., or even a 
i22>mo, is seen. 

Years ago when books were printed on the hand press, the al- 
most invariable size of printing paper was 20X24 inches. Then 
the terms folio, quarto, etc., had an exact significance, the size 
of the folio page being of course half that of the sheet, or 20X12; 
the quarto was half that, or 12X10; and so on, the octavo, 10 
X6; x6 mo., when square, 6X5? when oblong, 7X4/^ ; 32 mo., 
5X3. When the quarto sheet was folded twice instead of once, 
a i2mo. {duodecimo) was made, with dimensions 8X5. If the 



72 



Writmg for the Press. 



sheet was folded so as to carry 36 pages, it was an i8mo., with 
each page 6^X4. but that size is no longer used. Nowadays 
all these terms have come to lose their exactness, for with the 
cylinder press the size of the paper may suit the whim of the 
publisher, and of course every change in the size of the sheet 
changes the size of each page. So it is no longer possible for 
even an expert, by a glance at a page, to tell the size of the book. 
He can determine it quickly, however, by counting the leaves 
from one signature to the next. 

People dealing with printers often have occasion to remember 
that 24 sheets make a quire, and 20 quires, or 480 sheets, make a 
ream. Sometimes, but not generally, 25 sheets are put in a quire, 
making 500 to the ream. Printers in their reckoning must take 
account of the waste in getting the forms on the press, and in bad 
impressions. So they often reckon a ream as 19 quires, allowing 
the other 24 sheets for waste. Paper is sold either by the pound 
or ream. If designated as, for instance, "22X32+40/' the 
meaning is that each sheet is 22X32 inches and that one ream 
weighs 40 pounds. Such a paper, of the grade found in first-class 
trade papers, now costs about seven cents a pound. Magazine 
and book papers run slightly above this price, and news paper 
is of course a good deal cheaper. 

Type is measured by " ems," the name coming from the por- 
tion of a printed line formerly occupied by the letter ''m." The 
size of the em of course varies with the size of the type. Print- 
ers have by common consent made that size known as " pica " 
the standard of the printing office. 

This line is set in pica, and H is the size of a pica 
em. Until very recently, hardly any two type foundries agreed 



Writi7tg for the Press. 



73 



exactly in the sizes of their type. Now, however, what is known 
as the point *' system is coming into general use, and is doing 
as much for typography as the metrical measure is doing for 
measures in general. Under the new system the point " has 
dimensions just one-twelfth those of the standard pica em. Set 
in a row, 867 points would measure one foot. Of course no 
i-point type is made, but the measure is used for the thickness of 
the thinnest leads. 

Pearl is the smallest type of any practical use in printing. It 
is seldom seen outside of very small Bibles. A pearl em is five 
points square, and so the type is coming to be known as 5-point. 

Agate is the smallest type seen in newspapers. It is often 
used in advertisements and some papers also use it for extracts, 
letters embodied in articles, and tabular matter. Agate is 
5^-point type. 

Nonpareil is the smallest type used for the body of newspapers, 
and probably more big dailies are set in it than in anything else. 
In book-work its use is very general for tabular matter, side-notes, 
and foot-notes. Many papers set the news matter in solid non- 
pareil, and their editorials in leaded nonpareil. It is 6-point 
type. 

Minion is most found in new^spapers, being used by most of the 
big papers that do not use nonpareil. It is a favorite type for 
editorial paragraphs. A minion em cast on the new system 
.measures 7 points. 

Brevier is more used than any other size. Most weekly papers 
and almost all trade and class papers use it, and the paper-cov- 



74 



Writmg for the Press. 



ered "libraries " are set in it. It is the 8-point type, and there- 
fore in advertisements and job-work is a favorite, because, as the 
printers say, it "justifies" well, i. e., can easily be made to fit 
with type of other sizes. 

Bourgeois is the favorite size for magazines, and it is used by 
most of those printed in this country. The printer dislikes it, 
partly because it will not justify with other sizes, partly because 
it is so likely to get mixed with brevier. It is the 9-point type. 

Long Primer is the customary type for book-work. Almost all 
the standard editions of fiction are printed from it, and it is much 
used for text-books and poetry. It is the lo-point type. This 
book is set in long primer. 

Small Pica is mainly used for city and town documents, law 
books, and law reports. It is the type of the North American- 
Review and the principal quarterlies. It measures 11 points. 

Pica is found most commonly in standard histories, sermons,- 
and addresses. It is the largest size much used in book-work, 
though English and Great Primer may often be seen in prayer- 
books, the Bible, and books for children. The pica em measures 
12 points, is 0.166 of an inch square, and sets a littl? more than 
72 ems to the foot. 

To fmd the number of ems of a given type in a given space,, 
first divide the area of the space in square inches by 0.0138, 
which will give the number of points. Dividing that by 6 will, 
give the number of 6-point or nonpareil ems ; by 8, the brevier 
ems; 10, the long-primer ems ; etc., etc. The number of ems in 
a square inch is the same whether the matter is set solid or with 
leads. The following tables presume that the type is set solid: — 



Writing for the Press. 



75 





























vO N 00 






0 VO 
















•sjo3§4nog 


1^ 






CO ^0 






















0 ro 


AB] 










fO to 












H 




\N| \N S5O 


< 








•UOIUI]^ 










ME 






VIENT 




fO 


SURE 










•]i9aBdtiojf<[ 




W 
























ASU 














. . . 


ER 






1x3 








00 10 1 


S 






PU 












< 


















i 0 


< 




EWS 


.1 

;z: 
s 


Ems, 
Ems, 


BO 


u 

in 


c/5 q 


% \ 


J 
o 
O 


Line, 

[OOO 

1000 




w 

1 


Line, 

[OOO . 

1000 




TANDAR] 

Ems Pic 


^ c.S 




Cd 


s in a 
es in ] 
hes in 




.2 ^ 

c/) <U 




lASUF 




O 


s.s| 










Width 


No. of 
No. of 
JNo. 01 






No. of 
No. of 

XT £ 

No. of 



76 



Writing fo7^ the Press. 



To find the weight of type required to set up any given amount 
of matter, divide by four the number of square inches of matter; 
the quotient will be the approximate weight. As it is impossible 
to use all the type in the cases and come out even, it is the cus- 
tom to add from 25 to 33 per cent, for the type that will be left 
over. Speaking broadly, the type mostly used in book-work costs 
about 50 cents a pound \ nonpareil costs from 60 to 65, and 
agate from 70 to 75 cents a pound. 

Composition is usually paid for by the piece, the standard 
being 1000 ems. The cost to the man who owns his own plant 
ranges from 25 cents a thousand for girls in weekly paper and 
some book offices, to 50 cents for men in big daily newspaper 
offices. The printer's price to the publisher or author is ordi- 
narily 60 cents a thousand on plain work, for besides the com- 
position he has to pay for his foreman, imposition (or stone 
work), proof-readers, rent, wear of material, interest, etc. 

The cost of press-work varies greatly in different places and 
on different work. Speaking broadly, it may be said to run from 
50 cents to $1.00 a token, which is 500 impressions. A i6mo. 
book of 192 pages, printed 32 pages at a time, or with 32 pages 
in each '^form/' as the printers say, would take six impressions 
to a book, or 600 impressions, 12 tokens, if the edition was 
1000. It will be seen that the press-work is one of the smaller 
items of expense in most of the books printed. 

Binding, too, is an item that varies greatly, but it is safe to say 
that the cloth bindings of the greater part of the books most 
sold cost about 20 cents each. 

From these figures it will be possible for any one to make a 
Tough estimate of the cost of printing a book, pamphlet, maga- 



Writifig for the Press, 



11 



zine, or class paper. Few publishers outside of the newspaper 
offices now do the whole work of printing. Few book publishers 
now do any of it. Newspaper publishers, however, are still as a 
rule their own printers, in the big cities because the papers are 
so big and time is so scarce that the work must all be done in 
the office, in the small places because there are no other offices 
to do the work. So the newspaper publisher has to add to the 
foregoing expense that of a press, which may cost anywhere from 
$60 to $6000, and for the bigger dailies, more yet. Probably the 
average first cost of the newspaper presses of the country was 
not far from $2000. The plant of a newspaper, outside of 
press and power, may cost from $100 to $10,000, still barring the 
big dailies, and for the weekly or small daily paper probably 
averages to cost about $iooq, leaving out the job department. 

The introduction of 'Vpatent insides " and " plate matter " has 
in recent years made a great change in the newspaper world, 
having greatly cheapened the cost of publication, to say nothing 
of its effect on the condition and conditions of writers for the 
press. Another still more important change is impending, and 
it is one that will affect not only the newspapers, but also the 
magazine and the book world. The perfecting of type-setting 
machinery bids fair to make a revolution in the world of letters. 
Just what its effect on the writers will be, no man can foretell, 
but it seems clear that the pen is to be still more potent, the in- 
fluence of the journalist is to spread still wider, the mind of the 
author is to have still more effect in swaying the passions and 
the beliefs of the world. The writer for the press, then, should 
work still harder to acquire the skill for using his powers to their 
best advantage. The competitors will be more numerous, the 
prize will be greater, and though it may not be won by perfec- 
tion of detail, it cannot be won without that perfection. 



A Partial List of Books 
About Writing, or Useful to Writers. 



(The name and city of the publisher ends each item, *' N. Y." standing for 
New York City. The publishers will send any book post- 
paid on receipt of the price stated.) 

HISTORICAL AND PHILOLOGICAL. 

Corson's Hand-book of Anglo-Saxon Early English. $2.00. 
Henry Holt & Co., N. Y. 

Earle's Philology of the English Tongue. i6mo. $1.75. Mac- 
millan & Co., N. Y. 

Garlanda's Fortunes of Words. Cloth, i2mo. Si. 35. A. Lovell 
& Co., N. Y. 

Garlanda's Philosophy of Words. A Popular Introduction to the 
Science of Language. Cloth, i2mo. $1.35. A. Lovell & Co., N. Y. 

Lounsbury's History of the English Language. $0.80. Henry 
Holt & Co., N. Y. 

March'^ English Language. Method of Philological Study of the 
English Laiiguage. Cloth, i2mo. $0.50. Harper & Bros., N. Y. 

March's Anglo-Saxon Grammar. $1.80. Harper & Bros., N. Y. 

March's Anglo-Saxon Reader. $1.10. Harper & Bros., N. Y. 

Marsh's Origin and History of the English Language. $3.50. 
Charles Scribner's Sons, N. Y. 

Meikle John's English Language. Its Grammar, History, and Liter- 
ature, with Composition, Versification, Phrasing, and Punctuation. i2mo. 
^1.80. Scribner & Welford, N. Y. 

Same — American Edition. $1.40. D. C. Heath & Co., Boston. 

Sweet's Anglo-Saxon Primer. $0.60. Macmillan & Co., X. Y. 

Sweet's Anglo-Saxon Reader. ^0.60. Macmillan & Co., N. Y. 

Taylor's — The Alphabet. An Account of the Origin and Develop- 
ment of Letters. Copiously illustrated. Two vols., 8vo. ^10.00. Scribner 
& Welford, N. Y. 

W^hitney's Language and the Study of Language. $2.50. Charles 
^ . Scribner's Sons, N. Y. 



GRAMMAR. 

Bain's Composition Grammar. Henry Holt & Co., N. Y. 

Bain's Higher English Grammar. $o.So. Henry Holt & Co., N. 
• Buckham's Analysts of Sentences. An application of Grammar to- 
English Sentences, or a book of grammatical praxis. Cloth, i2mo., 251 pp.- 
Ivison, Blakeman & Co., N. Y. 

Clarke's Normal Grammar. i2mo., 334 pp. $0.70. A. S. Barnes- 
& Co., N. Y. 

Cobbett's English Grammar. Notes by Robert Waters. i2mo., 272 
pp. $0.75. A. S. Barnes & Co., N. Y. 

Dalgleish's Grammatical Analysis. American Edition. Cloth, 
i2mo., 66 pp. Ivison, Blakeman & Co., N. Y.. 

Hind's — Some Topics in English Grammar. i6mo., 142 pp. $0.60. 

A. S. Barnes & Co., N. Y. 

Murray's (Lindley) English Grammar. Sheep, i2mo. $0.48. J. 

B. Lippincott & Co., Phila. 

Tower & Tweed's Grammar of Composition. Cloth. J0.85. Lee 
& Shepard,- Boston. 

White's Grammar of the " Grammarless Tongue ". A. S. Barnes 
& Co., N. Y. 



RHETORIC. 

Bardeen's Complete Rhetoric. i2mo., 683 pp. $1.50. A. S. 
Barnes & Co., N. Y. 

Bascom's Philosophy of Rhetoric. 8vo., 293 pp. $1.25. G. P. 
Putnam's Sons, N. Y. 

Blair's Lectures on Rhetoric. Abridged, with Questions. Sheep, 
i6mo. $0.43. G. P. Putnam's Sons, N. Y. 

Blair's Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles-Lettres. 8vo., Univer- 
sity Edition. $1.85. Porter & Coates, N. Y. 

Boyd's Elements of Rhetoric and Literary Criticism. i6mo., 
334 pp. $0.55. Harper & Bros., N. Y. 

Campbell's Philosophy of Rhetoric. $1.05. Harper & Bros., N. Y, 

Clark's Practical Rhetoric, English Composition and Revision. 
i2mo., 381 pp. §1.12. Henry Holt & Co., N. Y. 

Day's Art of Discourse. A System of Rhetoric adapted for use in 
colleges and academies, and for private study. i2mo., 343 pp. Ivison^ 
Blakeman & Co., N. Y 

DeMille's Elements of Rhetoric. i2mo., 568 pp. $1.20. Harper 
& Bros., N. Y. 

II 



Genung's Elements of Rhetoric. $1.25. Ginn & Co., l^ostun. 

Haven's Rhetoric. i2mo., 382 pp. ^§0.50. Harper & Bros., N. Y, 

HiLL*s (A. S.) Principles of Rhetoric and their Application. 
i2mo. ^o.8o. Harper & Bros., N. Y. 

Whateley's Elements of Rhetoric. iSmo., 352 pp. Harper & 
Bros., N. Y. 

Williams' Composition and Rhetoric by Practice. 244 pp. $0-85. 
D. C. Heath & Co., Boston. 



LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION. 

Abbott's How to Write Clearly. $0.60. Roberts Bros., Boston. 

Affixes in their Origin and Application. Exhibiting the Etymolo- 
gic Structure of English Words. Revised Edition. Extra Cloth, i2mo. 
^1.50. J. B. Lippincott Co., Phila. 

Ballard's Handbook of Blunders. Designed to prevent 1000 com- 
mon blunders in speaking and writing. $0.50. Lee & Shepard, Boston. 

Bancroft's Method of English Composition. Cloth, i2mo., 96 pp. 
$0.55. Ginn & Co., Boston. 

BiGELOw's Mistakes in Writing English and How to Avoid 
Them. $0.50. Lee & Shepard, Boston. 

Byrne's General Principles of the Structure of Language. 
2 vols., 8vo. $3.00. Scribner & Welford, N. Y. 

Clark's Outline of the Elements of the English Language. 
i2mo. Jr. 25. Charles Scribner's Sons, N. Y. 

Fowler's English Language in its Elements and Forms. 8vo., 
196 pp. $1.75. Harper & Bros., N. Y. 

Gummere's Handbook of Poetics. ^o.6o. Ginn & Co., Boston. 

Higginson's Hints on Writing and Speechmaking. $0.^0. Lee 
& Shepard, Boston. 

Mathews' Literary Style and other Essays. i2mo. ^1.50. S. 
C. Griggs & Co., Chicago. 

Mathews' Words, Their Use and Abuse. Cloth, i2mo. ^2.00. 
S. C. Griggs & Co , Chicago. 

Moon's — The Dean's ENCiLisii. Limp, i6mo. $o.So. Scribner & 
Welford, N. Y. 

Moon's — The Reviser's English. A Series of Criticism, showing the 
Reviser's Violation of the Laws of the Language. i2mo., 88 pp. Paper, 
$0.20; cloth, ^0.75. Funk & Wagnalls, N. Y. 

Skeat's Principles of English Etymology. i2mo. $2.25. Mac- 
millan & Co., N. Y. 

m 



Strang's Exercises in English. Accidence, Syntax, and Style. D. 
C. Heath & Co., Boston. 

Swinton's Word Analysis. 128 pp. Ivison, Blakeman & Co., N. Y. 

Trench's English Past and Present. $1.00. Macmillan & Co., 
N. Y. 

Welch's Analysis of the English Sentence. $0.90. A. S. 
Barnes & Co., N. Y. 

White's Every-day English. i2mo. $2.00. Houghton, Mifflin & 
Co., Boston. 

White's Words and Their Uses. i2mo., $2.00; school edition, 
unabridged, ^i.oo. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston. 



PUNCTUATION. 

BiGELow's Hand-book of Punctuation. $0.50. Lee & Shepard, 
Boston. 

Cocker's Hand-book of Punctuation. 24mo., 127 pp. $0.60. A. 
S. Barnes & Co., N. Y. 



SYNONYMS. 

Campbell's Hand-book of English Synonyms. $0.50. Lee & 
Shepard, Boston. 

Crabbe's English Synonyms. New edition, i2mo. $0.90. De Wolfe, 
Fiske, & Co., Boston. 

Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases. New edi- 
tion, revised and enlarged by author's son, J. L. Roget. Cloth, 8vo. $2 00. 
T. Y. Crowell & Co., N. Y. 

Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases. So classified 
and arranged as to facilitate the Expression of Ideas and assist in Literary 
Compositions. Revised and Edited, with a list of Foreign Words defined in 
English, and other Additions by Barnas Sears, President of Brown University. 
New American from the last London Edition. Crown, 8vo., cloth. $2.00. 
J. B. Lippincott Co., Phila. 

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms. New Edition. A Dic- 
tionary of English Synonyms and Synonymous or Parallel Expressions. 
Designed as a Practical Guide to Aptness and Variety of Phraseology. Large 
i2mo. Extra cloth. $2.00. J. B. Lippincott Co., Phila. 

Synonyms. A Handy Book of \Vords in general Use, containing nearly 
35,000 Words. Cloth flush, i8mo., $0.30 ; Fine cloth, $0.50. J. B. Lippin- 
cott Co . Phila. 



IV 



Whately's English Synonyms Discriminated. i6mo. $0.50. I^ee 
8c Shepard, Boston. 

Williams' Dictionary of Synonyms ; or the Topical Lexicon. 8vo. 
3S4 pp. $0.95. A. S. Barnes & Co., N. Y. 



QUOTATIONS. 

Allibone's Dictionary of Poetical Quotations. Covering the 
Entire Field of British and American Poetry, from the time of Chaucer to 
the present day. With a variety of useful Indices, and Authors and Subjects 
ali)habetically arranged. 8vo. Extra cloth, $300. J. B. Lippincott Co, 
Phila. 

Allibone's Prose Quotations. From Socrates to Macauley. With 
Indexes. Authors, 544; Subjects, 571 ; Quotations, 8810. Extra cloth, 8vo. 
^3.00, J. B. Lippincott Co., Phila. 

Ballou*s Treasury of Thought. An Encyclopaedia of Quotations. 
8vo., full gilt. $4 GO. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston. 

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations. Cloth, i2mo. $3.00, 8th edition. 
Little, Brown & Co., Boston. 

Dictionary of Quotations From the Greek, Latin and Modern 
Languages. Translated into English by the Author of " Live and Learn.'' 
With an Index to every important word. Crown, 8vo., extra cloth. ^2.00. 
J. B. Lippincott Co., Phila. 

Hoyt-Ward Cyclop.^^.dia of Quotations. The Cyclopaedia of 
Practical Quotations, English and Latin, Vvith an Appendix containing Prov- 
erbs from Latin and Modern Languages; Law and Ecclesiastical Terms and 
Significations; Names, Dates and Nationality of Quoted Authors, etc., with 
Copious Indices. 8vo., 899 pp. cloth, $5 00 ; sheep, $6.50 ; fancy cloth extra 
gilt, $7.50; half morocco, $8.00, full morocco, Jro.oo. Funk & Wagnalls, 
N. Y. 

King's Classical and Foreign Quotations. 608 pp. $1.75. Tho- 
mas Whittaker, N. Y. 

Ogilvie's One Thousand Popular Quotations. i2mo. 120 pp. 
Paper, ^0.25 ; cloth, $0.50. J. S. Ogiivie & Co., N. Y. 

Ramage and Grocott's Library of Familiar Quotations. 5 vols, 
cloth, i2mo. $1-35 a vol. De Wolfe, Fiske & Co., Boston. 

Stoddard's Quotations FROM the Poets. 8vo., 750 pp. $2.50. T. 
Y. Crowell & Co., N. Y. 

Ward's Dictionary of Quotations from the Poets. 8vo., cloth, 
$2.^0. T. Y. Crowell & Co., N. V. 

Webster's Dictionary of Quotations. i2mp., cloth, $1.25, Worth- 
ington Co., N. Y. 



V 



DICTIONARIES. 



Chambers' Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 
i2mo., cloth, $1.25. DeWolfe, Fiske & Co., Boston. 

Chamber's Dictionary. 8vo., cloth, 956 pp. $2.25. DeWolfe, 
Fiske & Co., Boston. 

Craig's English Dictionary. i2mo., cloth. $0.75. DeWolfe, 
Fiske, 8c Co., Boston. 

Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language. Cloth, 8vo., 1527 
pp. $2.00. DeWolfe, Fiske & Co., Boston. 

Knowles' Critical Pronouncing English Dictionary. Cloth, 8vo. 
$2.50. George Routledge & Sons, N. Y. 

Murray's New English Dictionary on Historical Principles ; 
founded mainly on the materials collected by the Philological Society. Ed- 
ited by James A. H. Murray, President of the Philological Society, with the 
assistance of many scholars and men of science. Each part, 4to., $3.25. 
Scribner & VVelford, N. Y. 

National Standard Dictionary. i vol. i6mo. $1. Nims & 
Knight, Troy, N. Y. 

Nuttall's Standard Dictionary of the English Language. 
New Illustrated Edition. Revised by Rev. James Wood. Cloth, Svo., 
832 pp. $1.50. Frederick Warne & Co., N. Y. 

Skeat's Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 
Quarto, 800 pp. $2.50. DeWolfe, Fiske & Co., Boston. 

Stormouth's Dictionary of the English Language. Cloth, 4to. 
1248 pp. $6.00. Harper & Bros., N. Y. 

Walker's Critical Pronouncing Dictionary of the English 
Language. Sheep, small 4to. ^0.45. J. B. Lippincott Co., Phila. 

Walker's Rhyming Dictionary of the English Language. i2mo, 
cloth, 720 pp. ^.0.90. DeWolfe, Fiske & Co., Boston. 

Webster's Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language. 
Last Revision by Chauncy A. Goodrich, D.D., and Noah Porter, D.D., LL.D. 
One vol. Royal 4to., 2012 pp., sheep, marbled edge. $12.00. G. C. 
Merriam & Co., Springfield, Mass. 

Wedgew^ood's Dictionary of English Etymology. 8vo., cloth, 
746 pp. $2.00. DeWolfe, Fiske & Co., Boston. 

Worcester's Dictionaries. Primary Dictionary, 384 pp., i6mo., half- 
roan, $0.48; Pocket Dictionary, cloth $0.30; tucks, $0.55; roan, $0.65; 
Common School Dictionary, 390 pp., i6mo., cloth, $0.90 ; Academic Dic- 
tionary, 8vo., half bound, $1.50; Comprehensive Dictionary, i2mo., half 
bound, $1.40; half morocco, $2.50; Household Dictionary, 8vo., extra cloth, 
$1.50, with index, $2.00. J. B. Lippincott Co., Phila. 

VI 



Worcester's Comprehensive Dictionary. i2mo., 684 i)p. $1.40. 
A. S. Barnes & Co., N. Y. 

Worcester's Unabridged Quarto Dictionary. 2,126 pp. $8.40. 
A. S. Barnes & Co., N. Y. 



REFERENCE. 

Angus's Handbook of the English Tongue. i2mo. $2.00. Scrib- 
ner & Welford, N. Y. 

Ballou's Edge-tools of Speech. 8vo. $3.50. Ticknor & Co., 
Boston. 

Bartlett's Dictionary of Americanisms. A Complete Vocabulary 
of the Colloquial Language of the United States. Cloth, Svo., 860 pp. 
^4.00. Little, Brown & Co., Boston. 

Brewer's Reader's Handbook of Facts, Characters, Plots and 
References. i2mo. Half morocco, $3. 50. J. B. Lippincott Co., Phila. 

Cushing's Initials and Pseudonyms. A dictionary of literary dis- 
guises. Svo., cloth. $5.00. T. Y. Crowell & Co., N. Y. ' 

Edward's W^ords, Facts and Phrases. A Dictionary of Curious, 
Quaint, and Out-of-the-Way Matters. Half morocco, i2mo. $2.50. J. B. 
Lippincott Co., Phila. 

Frey's Soubriquets and Nicknames. 8vo. $3.00. Ticknor & Co., 
Boston. 

Furness' Concordance to Shakespeare's Poems. An Index to 
every word therein contained; to which is added the Complete Poems of 
Shakespeare. Extra cloth, 8yo. $4.00. J. B. Lippincott Co., Phila. 

Halkett and Laing's Dictionary of the Anonymous and 
Pseudonymous Literatuee of Great Britain. Svo. $16.80. Scribner 
& Welford, N. Y. 

Halliwell's Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words, 
Obsolete Phrases, Proverbs and Ancient Customs. From the Four= 
teenth Century. 2 vols, 8yo. $6.00. Scribner & Vv^elford, N. Y. 

Lemon's Jest Book. The Choicest Anecdotes and Sayings, selected 
by Mark Lemon. i8mo. $1.25. Macmillan & Co., N. Y. 

Lempriere's Classical Dictionary. Containing all the Principal 
Names and Terms relating to Antiquity and the Ancients, with a Cronolog- 
ical Table. Fifteenth Edition. Sheep, 8vo. ^2.60. J. B. Lippincott Co., 
Phila. 

Ware's Glossary ; or. Collection of Words, Phrases, Customs, 
Proyerbs, etc. Illustrating the works of English authors, particularly Shakes- 
peare and his contemporaries. A new edition by J. O. Halliwel and Thomas 
Wright. 2 vols., 8yo. $8.40. Scribner & Welford, N. Y. 



VII 



Select Glossary of English Words used formerly in Senses 
DIFFERENT FROM THE PRESENT. i6mo. ^i.oo. Macmillan & Co., N. Y. 

Waite's Forgotten Meanings ; or an Hour with a Dictionary. 
$0.50. Lee & Shepard, Boston. 

Wheeler's Dictionary of the Noted Names of Fiction. i2mo. 
$2.00. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston. 

Wright's Dictionary of Obsolete and Provincial English. 
2 vols., i2mo. ^4.00. Scribner & Welford, N. Y. 



SHORTHAND AND TYPEWRITING 

Allen's Universal Phonography. $0.50. Lee & Shepard, Boston. 

Baker's How to Succeed as a Stenographer or Typewriter. 
Paper, $0.25. Baker's How to Learn Shorthand. $0.25. Fowler & Wells 
Co., N. Y. 

Beale's Phonographic Series. Simplified Phonography, $2.00; 
Reading Book, $0.25; Sign Book, containing about 1300 Words and Phrases, 
$0.50. C. C. Beale, Boston. 

Cross's Eclectic Shorthand Writing. By Principles instead of 
Arbitrary Signs; for General Use and Verbatim Reporting. Twelfth edition, 
thoroughly revised and completed. Cloth, i2mo. $2.00. S. C. Griggs & 
Co., Chicago. 

Eames's Light Line Shorthand. i2mo. 248 pp. $1.20. A.' S. 
Barnes & Co., N. Y. 

Humphrey's Manual of Typewriting, Business Letterwriting, 
AND Exercises for Phonographic Practice. A Guide to the Art of 
Typewriting. $1.50. J. B. Lippincott Co., Phila. 

Munson's Complete Phonographic Reporter's Guide. i2mo., 242 
pp. $1.50. Harper & Bros., N. Y. 

Osgoodby's Phonetic Shorthand Series. Manual, Ji. 50 ; Reader, 
$1.50; Word Book, $2.00; Epitome, $0.25 ; Miscellany, $0.35; General Rules 
for Phrasing, S0.35. W. W. Osgoodby & Co., Rochester, N. Y. 

Pitman's (Benn.) Phonographic Series. Manual, boards, $0.80; 
extra cloth, $1.00; Reader, paper, $0.25; Second Reader, paper, ^0.25; 
Reporter's Companion, boards, $1.00; extra cloth, §1.25 ; Reporter's First 
Reader, paper, $0.25; Phonographic Dictionary, extra cloth, $2.00 ; Phrase 
Book, extra cloth, $1.00. Phonographic Institute, Cincinnati. 

Torrey's Practical Plan of Instruction in Shorthand. 29 sheets. 
$1.00. Fowler & Wells Co., N. Y. 

Watson's Phonographic Instructor. An Improved Method . of 
Teaching Shorthand. Cloth. $2.00. G. P. Putnam's Sons, N. Y. 

VIII 



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